


Tale of a Tangled Mind

by Rivie_writes



Series: How Far We've Come [1]
Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Alcohol, Brainwashing, Dipper Pines/OC but only for a minute, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Like waaaay later, M/M, Mind Manipulation, Mystery Twins run the shack temporarily, Slow Burn, Things get more angsty than I planned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-05
Updated: 2016-10-27
Packaged: 2018-07-29 10:56:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 129,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7681708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rivie_writes/pseuds/Rivie_writes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After ten years of waiting, the Mystery Twins are back in Gravity Falls for good! Their aging Grunkles decide that it's time to retire from adventuring overseas and are eager to help their grandniece and nephew figure out life after college while living with Fiddleford McGucket at the Northwest Mansion. But when they return, Dipper and Mabel soon learn that their Grunkles did not come back alone.<br/>Everyone is hiding something. Some better than others.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Welcome Back To Gravity Falls

“Watch the road, Mabel!” Dipper exclaimed as Mabel carelessly drove over a bump in the road, causing the car and the U-Haul trailer in the back to jump. She gave him an innocent look as she spoke, “Sorry, I’m just so excited to see everyone!” She was practically bouncing in her seat as she drove. 

“Well, we have to survive the trip and so do all of our things,” Dipper retorted. Mabel shrugged it off. “Well, when we get to Gravity Falls, we’ll switch out. Would that make you feel better, bro-bro?” 

“Actually, it would,” Dipper stated bluntly. Mabel shoved her twin playfully while keeping an eye on the road. She actually preferred him to take over since the road to the Northwest Mansion would be a lot more rigorous but she wasn’t going to let him know that.

The closer they got to Gravity falls the more restless the twins became. It has been ten years. Ten years since they’ve seen their Grunkles and friends, excluding the wedding they had to beg their parents to let them go to when they were seventeen. But that was just a two day affair that didn’t even take place in Gravity Falls but in Portland instead so the only people they saw were Soos and Melody, since it was their wedding after all. 

Grunkle Stan and Ford spent the last ten years away from Gravity Falls sailing the world and searching for more supernatural things to study. Every time they came to port, they promptly exchanged emails with Mabel and Dipper, giving them advice during their time growing up and letting them know what kind of mysteries they were hunting down. Now they were ready to settle down and retire from their adventures with all the treasure they’ve accumulated, living with Fiddleford McGucket in the Northwest Mansion in Gravity Falls. 

Soos and his wife Melody have been dutifully keeping up with the Mystery Shack and it’s been more successful than ever. Especially after the locals got wind that the Stans and Mystery Twins were coming back to Gravity Falls, people were enticed to take a little nostalgia trip to the Shack. 

Wendy and her group of friends were still hanging around Gravity falls and are planning one “Helluva Welcome Back Party!” as the text she sent Dipper indicated. Even though they haven’t really seen each other since that fateful summer, they worked hard to stay close. After everything they had been through, a little thing like distance couldn’t keep the twins from checking up with everyone they cared about in town. They kept track of almost everyone via emails and social media but the people they were closer to like Wendy, Soos, Grenda, Candy, and even Pacifica they talked to on the phone at least once a week and started texting each other every other day once their parents got them phones of their own. 

The twins themselves are fresh out of college and were invited to stay with their Grunkles on the Northwest Mansion property, though they wouldn’t be staying in the main house with everyone else. They opted to stay out in the pool house so their aging Grunkles wouldn’t have to deal with their youthful shenanigans on a regular basis but they could still see each other whenever they felt like it. 

And even though there was some much needed family bonding to catch up on, there was another reason the twins jumped at the chance to move to Gravity Falls. Grunkle Stan was definitely dead set on teaching Mable the “Art” (as he called it) of scam- I mean, running your own business. Mabel already had an online store set up to sell her knickknacks and clothing, but she aspired to have her name out there and her own chain of stores, hence why she majored in business with a minor in fashion design. 

Dipper on the other hand would be receiving coaching from Ford on how to publish his (fiction?) books and in return Dipper would help his Grunkle organize his notes and research from his time overseas with his knowledge gained from his double major in history and anthropology. He originally was going to study Folklore and Mythology, but for the sake of actually making a living his father and Mabel convinced him to do change his major and Dipper enjoyed it more than he thought he would. 

Right on the outskirts of Gravity Falls, Mabel pulled into a gas station to restock on car snacks and energy drinks while Dipper refilled the tank. When Mabel plopped down in the passenger seat with her arms full, Dipper raised an eyebrow, “Mabes, do you really need all that? We’ll be at the Mansion in half an hour.”  
“Of course we do bro-bro,” she said as she passed him a Red Bull. “There’s going to be a huge party tonight and we have to be wired, not tired,” she said before giggling at her own rhyme. Dipper nodded in agreement and popped the top on his can and took a swig before getting back on the road, even though his heart was already beating fast just from excitement of being able to see everyone again. 

When the twins arrived at the Mansion, they were surprised by all the hustle and bustle that was going on. There were workers all over the place doing lawn maintenance, moving plastic tables from a moving truck around the side of the house, and setting up decorations.  
And in the middle of it all, there was a woman barking out orders to the workers. A very familiar woman. Before the twins could call out to their friend, two very familiar voices called them from the front door. 

“Kids!” 

Time seemed to slow down for Dipper and Mabel as they turned their heads to see their Grunkle Stan and Grunkle Ford standing on the stairs of the Mansion. They immediately bolted to them, tears springing in the corners of their eyes as they formed one mess of a group hug. They stayed like that for what most people would consider an uncomfortable amount of time, but they didn’t care. It’s been ten years. 

Eventually Stan and Ford held their great niece and nephew out at arm’s length to get a better look at them. Dipper still had his overgrown bangs to cover up his birthmark but kept the rest of his hair a little shorter and neater than usual with a clean shaven face (Mabel had insisted he cleaned up for their return). He wore an old navy blue hoodie with a gray t-shirt and dark wash jeans, and comfortable sneakers. Mabel, on the other hand, had her hair cut to where it rested just below her shoulder blades and still had those adorable waves at the end. She wore a light, comfortable, pale pink sweater with jeans shorts and flip flops. 

“Look at you kids, gone and grown up on us,” Grunkle Stan muttered out with pride and Ford nodded his head in agreement. The Grunkles themselves looked practically the same, just with some more wrinkles and slightly tanned, though they did seem to be fit and in good health.  
“You’re not so bad yourselves, you old farts,” Mabel beamed and Ford and Stan busted out laughing before pulling them back in for another quick hug before moving on.

“C’mon, let’s get you kids settled in before the party,” Ford suggested. Dipper and Mabel nodded in agreement. 

“Oh wait,” Mabel said, while quickly turning around. She scanned the crowd for a moment to realize that the blonde woman they spotted earlier was gone. “Oh, poo, I guess we missed her, “she sulked. Dipper ruffled his twin’s hair. “C’mon, we’ll see her at the party.” 

Then he turned back to his Grunkles, “Where should I park my car?” 

Stan pointed to a cobblestone road to the left of the Mansion, “Just follow that road and it’ll lead you to the pool house. You can park behind it. Poindexter and I still have some things to unload ourselves, so we’ll catch back up at the party.” All four of them hesitated for a few moments not really wanting to part ways already even though they had to get their things out of the way before the party. 

“Alright, we’ll see you in a bit,” Dipper said to break the awkward silence. He tried his best to sound cheerful, but it was almost painful to have to separate so soon after just reuniting. Mabel latched onto Dipper’s arm and gave their Grunkles a small wave before pulling him towards the car. She tightened her grip when they got further. Dipper could tell that it was painful for her too, but they were going to see them again in a few hours. They waited this long, they could wait a little more.  
\---------------------------  
“Uh, Mabel?” 

“Yes, my dear brother?” Mabel said, feigning innocence in her voice as she noticed the particular pink polka dotted trunk Dipper was dragging into the pool house. 

“Do you remember that talk we had about your stuffed animals?” 

“I may recall some words being said about it, yes.” 

Dipper then proceeded to dump a large trunk in the living room, colorful stuffed bears and bunnies tumbled out in a cotton stuffed avalanche. Mabel put on her best poker face and proceeded to say, “I have no earthly idea how those found their way in there. Guess they couldn’t live without me and stowed away.” 

Dipper proceeded to pick up a bright purple bear, “You’re just lucky this pool house has, like, five bedrooms or else you’d have to kiss mister Snugglesworth goodbye.” 

Mabel snatched the bear from her brother and stuck her tongue out at him. “But now we know that they can have their own room!” 

Dipper sighed, “Mabel, the stuffed animals cannot have their own room. They can be stuffed in the closest of your craft room.” 

“Fair ‘nuff, Dipping Dots,” Mabel said, dragging in another box of her clothes. 

The twins were amazed by the size of the pool house. When they first approached it, they would have thought it was the wrong place if there wasn’t a sign specifying otherwise. It’s two stories tall featuring five bedrooms, three bathrooms, and an area to rinse off outside on the patio. It came complete with a living room, dining area (with a drink bar that the twins made a mental note to stock later), and a fully functioning kitchen complete with updated appliances and some basic groceries, like cereal, milk, and poptarts . They agreed that when they finally see Old Man McGucket, he was getting the biggest bear hug of his life for setting this up for them. 

They felt strange moving into somewhere so luxurious. They were thankful, but it just wasn’t what they were used to. The past four years, they spent in either a crowded dorm or in an apartment with roommates so having a completely private area was a pretty foreign concept. They weren’t sure if it made them feel anxious, grown up, or a little bit of both. 

It took them three hours to finally have all of their things out of the car and the U-Haul and have all the boxes put into their proper rooms. Dipper was going to have to return the U-Haul and rent it again next week for when Mabel goes back home to bring Waddle’s up here. They didn’t have enough room for him and all of his things, like the fencing for his makeshift yard or the giant “dog” house Mabel and Dipper painstakingly built for him.

Mabel was taking a long time to get ready for the party and Dipper was patiently waiting for his twin to come down the stairs. He was already changed out of his jeans and into his navy blue and red swim trunks and sandals, but kept his jacket and t-shirt on. He was anxious to get outside. He could hear people chatting and running around out there, but they promised each other that they were going to go out there together. When Mable finally descended the stairs, wearing a long blue over-shirt over her pink bikini, her hair tied up in a bun, with the flips flops she wore earlier, Dipper walked to the front door and waited for his twin to catch up. 

“You nervous, bro-bro?” she asked quietly as she stood next to him, fidgeting. “Yeah, you?” She gulped, “A little.” Dipper held out his elbow and his twin hastily linked her arm through his. “Let’s do this,” she said excitedly and they pushed the double doors open, revealing what felt like the entire town on the lawn surrounding the pool. All the people that they bonded with over that summer ten years ago. Everyone that survived Weirdmageddon. People’s heads started turning towards the twins when they stepped out. The next thing they noticed was a banner hanging over the mansion. 

 

“Welcome Back to Gravity Falls”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this! Rating may go up in later chapters.   
> Feedback is always appreciated!


	2. King of the World

Dipper’s head started to spin as he and Mabel got passed around from person to person. Everyone had questions and wanted to catch up with the Mystery Twins. Familiar faces blurred in front of him. Manly Dan, Lazy Susan, Tad Strange, and a few others. After about an hour of being passed around, Dipper stumbled out of the bulk of the crowd desperately trying to find some breathing room when he unceremoniously smacked into another person.

“What up, dude?” A familiar voice said after he mumbled an apology. He looked up and saw one of his oldest friends: Wendy. He smiled and gave her quick hug, “Long time, no see, Corduroy,” he said. “Right back at you, Pines.”

When they broke apart, she backed up a little bit, “Look at you, you’re finally taller than me!” Dipper beamed proudly, “Yup, I’m even taller than Mabel now.” Wendy still had her extremely long hair, though it was braided down her back, and she wore a one piece swim suit with shorts covering her lower half.

That’s when Dipper looked around and noticed that no one has even dipped into the pool yet.  Everyone was still clamoring over the Mystery Twins and the Stans.

Something in his brain clicked and he felt compelled to change this.

Dipper looked through the crowd and his eyes found Mabel laughing with tears of joy on her cheeks with Candy and Grenda. He turned back to his childhood friend.

 “Hey, Wendy, do you wanna help Mabel and me break the ice and get this party started for real?” Wendy’s eyebrows rose in shock but she spoke jokingly, “Wow, what happened to that awkward kid that I used to hang around with?”

“I’m still awkward, but, this town is home to me even if I haven’t been here in forever. It’s like I never left. I really am home,” he said, his smile illuminating in his voice.

After some careful planning and getting Mabel in on the plan, the Mystery Twins were down to just their swimsuits and climbed the ladder of the huge waterslide while Wendy waited patiently on the diving board. When Dipper reached the top of the slide and settled into a good position, he signaled to Wendy, who promptly yelled, “LET’S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!” before cannonballing into the water.

Mabel gave a signal to Candy and Grenda who started playing loud pop music. She started rocking back and forth on the ladder to the beat, causing Dipper to slip down the slide preemptively, a yelp escaping his throat. Mabel instinctively caught him by the wrist as if he was falling to his death.

Dipper looked up to see Mabel clutching his wrist, laughing as she realized her mistake. “I’ll never let go, Jack!” she said dramatically and loudly. Dipper would normally get embarrassed over his sister throwing him into a skit (damn her high school drama club years), but at least he saw this movie and knew the lines (somewhat), unlike last time when she tried to get him to start sing that one song from _Labyrinth_. _Mabel was definitely born in the wrong decade,_ he mused before yelling back, “Never let go, Rose!”

The next thing he knew, she let him go. He ramped off the end of the slide a little bit, landing on his back gaining a nose and mouthful of water. He swam up, coughing as he moved off to the side and the second he was safe, a splash hit him and a laughing Mabel surfaced from the depths.

More people joined and splashed around with the twins and Wendy. Dipper and Mabel were winning a game of chicken against Robbie and Tambry before Dipper got distracted by the smell of barbeque. Tambry took advantage of Dipper being distracted and knocked Mabel off his shoulders causing both of them to tumble into the water. Mabel pouted and Dipper laughed. He pinched her puffed out cheek before saying, “I’m going to go see about food,” and left Mabel who was in the middle of initiating a splash war with the other two.

Dipper toweled himself off a little and threw his shirt back on before following that delicious scent. He absentmindedly bumped into someone’s shoulder, making them drop the red Solo cup they were holding, spilling its contents on the concrete. “Crap, sorry man. What did you have? I’ll get you another,” Dipper said, quickly picking up the cup before the other man could react. “Don’t worry about it,” an eerily familiar voice said. Dipper couldn’t place it and there was a nagging feeling in the back of his head that told him to don’t worry about it. He didn’t need to have all the answers anymore.

 Dipper got a better look at who he bumped into. It was actually one of the few people he didn’t recognize. He had pale skin, bright blonde hair which was cut in a choppy fashion and parted to the left, and he looked about the same age though the blonde was a few inches taller than him. He wore reflective yellow aviators over his eyes, with black swim trunks and a plain black t-shirt.

“Again, I’m sorry. I’m Dipper, by the way,” Dipper said, extending his hand. The other boy looked at him a moment before taking his hand and shaking it. “Pleased to meet you,” the blonde said, excitedly. “You Pines really know how throw a party,” he continued, keeping the conversation going.

“Well, the party was actually thrown for us by our friends,” Dipper said, his eyes glossing over the overwhelming amount of people there. “I’m surprised that so many people are here. We haven’t been here in so long, I thought that at least some people would have forgotten about us,” Dipper immediately regretted the words coming out of his mouth. He was supposed to be having fun, not angst-ing in front of a guy he just met. _Bad Dipper._

The other boy grinned wide, “Well, from what I understand you had a really big impact on this town, you, your sister and your great uncles.”  Dipper scratched the back of his head and looked away in embarrassment, “Yeah, I suppose you’re right, uh. What did you say your name was?”

 “Huh? Oh, I’m-“

“Dipper, get your ass over here and take one of these burgers!” Stan yelled from the grill. Dipper had forgotten that’s where he was heading.

“Well, you heard the man. Want some food?” Dipper asked. “Yeah, I could eat,” the blonde replied, falling in step to Dipper as he walked to the patio where some of the food had been laid out buffet style next to the grill.

Dipper tossed the cup he had been carrying into a trash can before looking over the food and practically started drooling.

Grunkle Ford manned the grill while Stan laid out the veggies and condiments. Dipper and his acquaintance eagerly grabbed a couple of paper plates and fixed themselves up before other people could take notice of the smorgasbord being set up before them.

When he looked up to find a place to sit Stan pointed to a picnic table with Soos and a _very_ round Melody sitting down. “I’ll join you guys in a minute,” Stan said, while fixing his own plate.

Dipper hurried over to his friends and while the blonde stayed behind and chatted with Stan for a bit.

“Sup, dude!” Soos exclaimed, getting up to give Dipper the biggest bear hug he’s received today and Dipper returned the hug full force. When the two split, he looked down at an eight month pregnant Melody who was looking at the boys with tired eyes. Soos had mentioned in his text messages that she was getting worn out more easily these days.

“Hey, Mel,” Dipper said quietly as he bent down to her level to give her a gentle hug before sitting down across from them. “Dude, we’re so stoked to have you guys back in Gravity Falls!” Soos cheered, while taking his seat next to his wife. “Yeah, congrats on finishing college!” Melody said enthusiastically. Despite looking tired, Dipper could tell she was just as excited as her husband.

“Thanks guys, I-“ Dipper started, but was interrupted by an ice cold six pack of beer being placed in the center of the table. “Oh sweet,” Dipper said, reaching out for a bottle. Grunkle Stan sat next to Dipper and his blonde acquaintance from earlier pulled up a chair and sat at the edge of the picnic table on his other side.

“Guys, this is William,” Stan said gesturing to the blonde while looking at Soos and Melody. “He’s the kid I was telling you about earlier.”

Dipper gave his Grunkle a confused look, “You know each other?” His Grunkles left ten years ago, and this guy couldn’t be more than a couple years older than him unless he was hiding some wicked crow’s feet underneath those shades, which didn’t seem likely. Something wasn’t adding up, but Dipper was calm as he let his Grunkle explain.

“Yeah, me and Poindexter met him on our travels and he wanted to come back to Gravity Falls with us. Speaking of which, I have something to tell _you_ and your sister later,” Stan pointed at Dipper for a moment before turning back to Soos and Melody. Dipper assumed that it was that they were harboring an illegal immigrant right now. As a family so it’s okay.

_Eh, wouldn’t be the most surprising thing he’s done._ “But for now I wanted to ask if you could set him up with a job at the shack? You wouldn’t have to pay him much, plus Melody can take a load off, I know you’ve been worrying about that.”

 Something didn’t sit right with Dipper. Neither of the Stans had mentioned another traveler. He spared a glance at William who was looking between the two men that were decided his fate while taking a bite of his burger. He seemed pretty chill and for some reason, that was enough for Dipper to not be suspicious of him.

Soos rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, “Well, I might as well tell you guys now. Melody and I decided last night that the Mystery Shack is going to be closed for this summer. We’re going to Portland for the next three months and staying with Melody’s parents, to help ease us into parenthood.” Melody hummed in agreement. “Oh, well I can’t blame you for wanting to go there, I guess. But can you afford to? Summer is the busiest season,” Stan questioned.

“This _will_ take a bite out of our profits, but business has been really good ever since you’ve decided to return, so we should be okay,” Soos said. The unsureness in his voice was pretty apparent.

Dipper had a response on his tongue, but someone beat him to the punch. “Dip Dop and I can run it while you’re gone,” an overly cheerful voice sounded behind him stated before he felt the weight of someone leaning on his back. “Right, Dipper?” Mabel asked and Dipper looked between his Grunkle and Soos. “Of course, we’ll do everything we can to help. When are you guys leaving?”

“Next week!  Wow, thank you! You guys are the best friends a guy could ask for!” Soos beamed, and Melody smiled, “Thanks, you two. Well, I guess you three now, since we don’t have a reason to not hire William anymore.” Dipper looked over at William, who had a wide smile spread underneath his aviators, “I won’t let you down, boss.”  

 Mabel grabbed herself a plate of food and sat down at the other end of the picnic table across from William and eventually she called Ford over and forced him to squeeze between Dipper and Stan.  They all caught up and told stories for a little while before Soos and Melody decided to call it a night. Melody definitely looked like she needed her rest so there were no objections from the table.

Dipper got up and grabbed a couple more six packs from the ice chest so no one else would have to get up for a while and sat down on the side Soos and Melody were sitting earlier.

“This is nice, my great niece and nephew are finally old enough to have a beer with these two old geezers,” Stan chuckled, sipping on his second beer.

Mabel let out a small giggle, putting down her fifth empty beer bottle. “Yeah, though I’m happy to report that I’m the one with the stronger constitution. Dipper may be taller than me, but I’m still the alpha twin,” she reported cheerfully, pointing two thumbs towards herself. At that Dipper scoffed, grabbing for his sixth beer like he had a point to prove, “So you outdrank me one time without a hangover, you just got lucky.”

“Wanna go, brosky? Last one to ten beers has to give Waddles his baths for a month!” Mabel challenged with a crazy smile and narrowed eyes. “That’s not fair! I wouldn’t gain anything from that! How about if I win, we cook Waddles for breakfast?” Dipper challenged jokingly. Mabel made a horrified face and threw some balled up napkins at Dipper. William busted out laughing at the other end of the table, his face slightly flushed after only three and a half beers. “Man you two are a riot!”

“Maybe you shouldn’t try to drink each other under the table tonight. We all still need to unpack and get settled in tomorrow,” Ford quickly injected to defuse the situation. “Well I for one- Oh. My. God. Paz?” Mabel’s vision was officially going past her Grunkle to the tall blonde women they saw earlier who was standing just a few yards away. She quickly scrambled to her feet and ran to embrace Pacifica Northwest. Pacifica looked over at Dipper and they gave each other an awkward wave before she dragged Mabel off somewhere.

Dipper glanced at his waterproof Duckective watch Mabel gave him on his fifteenth birthday and realized that it was already half past ten in the evening. Dipper stood up, almost falling over when the alcohol suddenly hit him.

“I think I’m going to find some water,” he stated before heading towards the ice chest. He was immediately disappointed when all that was left were beer and soda. He recalled some bottled waters in the fridge in the pool house and headed in that direction.

Before he even made it halfway there, someone grabbed his arm and was immediately pulling him in another direction.

“Mabel, where the heck are you dragging me, I was-“ he stopped in the middle of his sentence when he saw the end of a water gun pointed at his face. “Be quiet and come with me if you want to stay alive,” she tried to say seriously but broke out in laughter towards the end of the sentence. This was definitely going to be a long night for Dipper.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The party was really fun for me to write so I hope you're enjoying it as much as I did! There's going to be more shenanigans in the next chapter, so stay tuned! Feedback is always welcome.


	3. Water Gun Fights and Stormy Weather

Dipper watched as Mabel paced in front of the line of people as if she was a commander, and this was her squad. Her slightly intoxicated, water gun wielding squad that consisted of Dipper, Wendy, Candy, Grenda, Robbie, Tambry, Thompson, Pacifica, and William. Everyone else either refused to get out of the pool or was deemed too drunk to play.

“Listen up, maggots! Here are the rules; One: If you get wet, you’re out! Two: No throwing your guns at each other! Three: If you lose, then you will face the penalty that will be administered by the winner! Are we clear?!”

“What’s the penalty?” Thompson asked, meekly.

Mabel’s eyes glistened mischievously, “Don’t lose and you won’t have to find out.” Dipper could hear a few audible gulps from the other contestants.

“Now, when I blow this whistle, you will have three minutes to find place to hide before you can start hunting each other. The pool, pool house, and main house are off limits. Pretty much, we want to try and stay in the greenery surrounding the house. I will blow the whistle again when the three minutes are up! Ready, troops?” she asked without even waiting for a response before she blew the whistle that dangled around her neck.

Immediately the group disbanded, going different directions into the trees surrounding the Mansion. Dipper stayed inward towards the main building, wanting the secure feeling of people not being able to come at him from all directions. Before he could reach a good hiding spot, he stubbed his big toe on something on the ground, falling face first. He writhed in pain for just a moment before recovering and noticing what he stubbed his toe on. The sprinkler system. Dipper had never hatched a plan so quick in his life. _She said that if you get wet, you’re out. She never said that it had to be from the water guns. I think the controls to the sprinkler system will be in a shed instead of the main house._ All he had to do was find it.

A whistle sounded in the air and Dipper knew he had to act fast. It was officially game on.

He quickly got to his feet and started jogging through the trees, trying to find a shed or anything that would indicate where it would be like a trail the gardeners use. He heard rustling from a bush behind him and with no hesitation immediately shot water at the figure that came from it.

It dodged with insanely fast reflexes, and Dipper immediately recognized the figure as William. “I know you’re new here man, so walk away now and I’ll cut you a break,” Dipper stated, trying to sound smug. William laughed and pumped his gun before saying a little _too_ darkly, “I think you’re mistaken on who is the real threat here.” William quickly charged with the gun aimed, but Dipper dodged his blast gracefully before disarming him and tossing the other’s gun into some of the brush. Years of zombie tag at his college with Mabel had taught him well.

Before Dipper had a chance to relish his small victory, his legs were suddenly flew out from under him as he was drop kicked by William who proceeded run to his gun. Dipper was quickly on his feet, sprinting the opposite direction of him while he searched for his gun. He couldn’t let his main goal be compromised. His heart skipped a beat when he found the shed. It was down a small incline surrounded by trees. Before he could jog to it, he heard footfalls behind him. He turned to see William with his gun pointed at him, “Well aren’t you clever? I was wondering why you didn’t take a chance to hit me while I recovered my gun.”

Dipper couldn’t help but smile at the recognition he got for being smart. “Well, what can I say? I’m in it to win it.” He dodged the sudden blast of water and barreled straight William again, only this time he was prepared and managed to disarm Dipper instead. When Dipper was disarmed, it caught him off guard and threw his balance. As he fell, he managed to grab William’s gun which he held in a vicelike grip and was dragged down the incline with Dipper, both men struggling for the gun as they rolled downwards. It ended with William on top of Dipper, water gun pumped and aimed for his face.

“Any last words?”

“Please, let my sister know that I fought until the very end,” Dipper said, dramatically. After a dramatic pause, both of the men busted out laughing. Dipper felt something fall on his chest and saw a pair of yellow aviators on his chest he looked up.

A pair of yellow eyes with black slits stared down at him. His heart nearly stopped in that moment.

“Bill.”

Dipper went to call for help but a hand covered his mouth before he could make any noise, “Listen, Pine Tree, I’m going to need you to be quiet if you want me to let go.” Dipper’s head was still swimming from the alcohol from earlier so he couldn’t think straight. He fought against Bill, pushing at his chest to try and get the demon off of him.

All Bill did was sigh disappointedly and the yellow in his eyes turned blue for a moment. He used the hand that was on his mouth to pin both of Dipper’s hands to his chest and his other hand clipped the water gun to his swim trunks before he dug out a phone from his pocket.

Dipper tried to seize the opportunity to try and call for help, only to realize that his voice wasn’t working. He couldn’t tell what Bill was doing on his phone either. _Why did this idiot even bring a phone to a water gun fight? Wait. Is he texting? A demon stole my voice and is chilling out on top of me,_ texting. _Ugh._

With a swift movement, the phone was back in Bill’s pocket before he yanked Dipper to his feet and dragged him to the shed with a surprising amount of strength that Dipper couldn’t fight against. _Great, I know his secret, now he’s going to kill me where no one will look? Maybe I could kill him first?_

Bill tossed Dipper forward inside the shed and blocked the door with his body to prevent him from trying to escape. “Listen, kid, I’m not here to hurt you so wipe that murderous look off of your face. No one is dying tonight.” Dipper kept his glare intact. He wasn’t planning on dropping his guard for even a second. Bill smirked at him, “It’s funny if you think that look would keep me from murdering you in cold blood if I wanted. Which I don’t, just to be clear,” he added that afterthought quickly and then sneered. “You’ll get an explanation for my return very soon, Pine Tree.”

The way he said it made it sound nefarious. Dipper half expected an evil laugh after that sentence, but nothing came. As he stewed for a minute with Bill’s gaze on his every move, he decided that he might as well do what he came here to do and turn on the sprinkling system. He heard several gasps and swear words from the woods and tried to chuckle at the sounds and was disappointed by the lack of noise his mouth produced.

Bill chuckled in his stead, “Gotta hand it to you, Pine Tree, merciless to the end. But unfortunately there can only be one winner.” Bill quickly drew his water gun and sprayed Dipper, who had nowhere else to run. Dipper started trying to say every cuss word he could throw at the man but to no avail. Dipper punched the wall in the shed. Bill almost doubled over laughing at him, “Man, you are a riot Pine Tree. I don’t think I’ve ever met a human who can get as worked up as you over a game.” Dipper’s eye twitched at the accusation. This was definitely about more than the game.

“There you are,” a familiar voice said. Dipper went to call out to his Grunkle Stan, but before he could be betrayed by his lack of working vocal chords at the moment Stan walked into the shed. “I’ll take it from here,” he told Bill. Bill’s eyes flashed blue briefly again before cheerfully saying, “Have fun,” and hurrying out the door.

“What the hell is going on!?” Dipper yelled, almost completely exasperated but suddenly felt relief when he realized he could say things out loud again.

“Well, remember when I said I needed to talk to you and your sister earlier? This is kind of what it’s about,” Stan said solemnly. Fury spiked through Dipper, “You _knew_ he’s Bill? And you _lied_ to us?” Dipper backed up a step to show his disdain. Stan took a deep breath in and let it out slowly forcing himself to be patient, “Will you at least hear me out and listen to how we got to this point? After everything thing we’ve been through together, do you really have that little faith in me?”

Dipper swallowed and stared at the ground. He turned his back to his Grunkle and turned off the sprinkler system. “Tell me what happened and why,” he said quietly. A relieved smile found its’ way to Stan’s lips, “Okay kid, it’s a long story, so make sure you pay attention, ‘cause I hate repeating myself.” Dipper turned around and gave him a nod of acknowledgement.

“It all started the day the Ford and I sailed out to sea. It was particularly sunny that day and things were looking bright for us.”

\------------------

_Stan patted his brother on the shoulder as they admired the Stan o’ War II. It was their pride and joy and it was finally time to ship off. The first place Ford wanted to check out of course was the Bermuda Triangle. The most mysterious place of the seven seas._

_They shipped off early in the morning, feeling great about living the dream they had been waiting for their entire lives. It wasn’t until that evening that they realized a stowaway was waiting underneath._

_When they first discovered the blonde kid who wouldn’t look them in the eyes, they were disgruntled and started planning a course back to port. He was clearly too young to be travelling alone, let alone a couple of strangers. He couldn’t be older than fourteen or fifteen years old. He was probably some teenager trying to run away from home._

_When the Stans informed the kid that they were returning to port, the kid pitched a fit._

_“No, you don’t have to do that!” the blonde insisted. “Of course we do, kid. Someone’s gotta be missing ya,” Stan insisted while Ford checked their coordinates. “No one is missing me, and no one can help me but you two,” the kid spoke through gritted teeth. Like he hated admitting to it._

_“Kid, while I admire your spunk to run away from home and do what you want, you’re still a kid and I’m not going to be stuck with a kidnapping charge on top of all my other felonies.”_

_“You mean_ my _felonies,” Ford said quickly, covering with a cough._

_“I’m not a kid!” the teen looked up at them, his yellow eyes flashing red for a moment, black slits shrinking. Suddenly the teen found himself on the ground, gasping for air after being gut punched by Stanley. This grabbed Ford’s attention and he rushed over to his brother, “Stanley are you stupid?! Assaulting a kid!?”_

_“That’s no kid, that’s Cipher! We have to knock him out so this kid can get his body back!” Stanley raised his fist, and Ford stopped him. “Think coolly about the situation, we can’t beat up this kid. Cipher can’t use his powers while in a vessel, we can wait it out. I’ll grab some rope.”_

_Bill glared at them when they bound his hands, but didn’t resist. Ford led him down to the cabin and secured him to the wall. Ford took a seat across from him, his gaze unwavering.  “What’s your game Cipher? How did you survive the mind wipe?”_

_A smirk played on Bill’s lips, “What fun would it be if I told you that?”_

_“Who did you possess?”_

_“No one of consequence.”_

_“What does that mean?”_

_“It means,” his smirk turned into a full on manic grin, “that this vessel was empty before I took control.”_

_Ford made a disgusted face, “You mean that’s a corpse?”_

_“Not exactly. But no matter what you think, Sixer, I’m not leaving this body any time soon.”_

_A tense silence filled the room before Bill finally spoke up again._

_“I’ll give you more answers if you give me water and food,” he said quietly, looking at the ground, almost defeated. Ford furrowed his eyebrows and looked the boy over. He was skinny, deathly skinny. Bill never particularly cared about taking care of his vessels or staying in them long enough to actually require food (even though he would try snacks out of curiosity) so why did he bother with feeding this one?_

_Without a word, Ford walked to the small kitchenette in the cabin and grabbed a bottle of water and dinner roll. He decided he would get more food with more answers. And even if he was lying about giving him answers, the boy he was possessing needed some form of nourishment.  With reluctance, Ford untied Bill and placed the bottled water in front of him and passed him the roll. Bill quickly devoured the roll, barley taking two bites to swallow all of it and followed up with guzzling the whole bottle of water in one swoop. He threw the bottle down, wiping his chin with his wrist._

_“So, what I want to know, is how did you get this body and who does it belong to?”_

_“It belongs to me. Long story short, the prophecy that led to Weirdmageddon also let me know that there was a chance for my immediate downfall. I didn’t know what that would entail, so during the first day of Weirdmageddon I created this body for me to hide in after my defeat. All I had to do was invoke an ancient power, and here we are!”_

_“So you expect me to believe that you’re not possessing an innocent kid?” Ford raised his eyebrow in disbelief. “Believe what you want, Sixer, it doesn’t change the fact that it’s true.”_

_“Why come to us? The two people that hate you the most and have the ability rally the people it would take to send you back to your dimension?”_

_Bill took a deep breath, his face contorting to look as if he was about to admit something he really didn’t want to, “Look, Sixer, your little circle wouldn’t work on me anymore. I’m stuck in this body, until my power can find its way back to me.” Bill looked Ford in the eyes with dead seriousness,” The only way to be rid of me, is to kill this body.”_

“Wait, wait, wait. So you guys could have done away with him forever just by destroying a body that didn’t even belong to another human? Why didn’t you?!” Dipper questioned. A small pain started stinging in the back of his mind, but he ignored it. A huge part of him really didn’t want to know, but this officially involved the safety of his family, he had to get answers.

“Kid, do you honestly think that Ford and I could look a fourteen year old in the face and murder him? Also, what _if_ he had been lying to Ford?” Stan said, with seriousness.

Dipper lowered his head in guilt, “Yeah, you got me there. But why didn’t you tell Mabel and me? We could have helped you figure out something.”

“Well, now that you’re older I’ll ask this; would you call up a thirteen year old and let them know you’re contemplating murdering a possible human being?”

Dipper sullenly shook his head ‘no’ and Stan continued to talk, ”We made plans to tell you when you guys got a little older, but the longer we waited the harder it got to say. And you kids were doing really well and I didn’t want to throw a wrench into your plans with our problems. Besides, me and Poindexter had everything under control since Bill depended on us and we weren’t ready to commit murder. We were at an impasse. When we docked, Ford ran some tests and we sent a picture to one of his old colleagues to be ran through a missing person’s database and found nothing to prove that he had stolen that body.”

“So what happened that put him in your good graces?” Dipper asked, a little more coldly than he intended.

“Well, we walked on eggshells with him for a couple of years. He didn’t really seem to have any intention on hurting us, but me and Ford slept in shifts and kept an eye on him. Manual labor was a new thing to him, and we had to teach him how move and to properly take care of a human body,” Stan shuddered. “Eventually the kid proved himself to be useful, but our opinion of him didn’t begin to change until a stormy trip across the Atlantic.”

_“Stanley, hurry up and re-secure the cargo,” Ford yelled, as he gripped the steering wheel tightly, trying his best to stay on course. Bill was holding onto to the crates that had become loose during the tossing and turning of the waves. He was having a hard time holding his ground while Stan fumbled with the ropes in the storm._

_Bill lost his footing. A crate slammed into Stan. Stan was flying overboard. Time seemed to slow when Bill yelled and grabbed Stan’s ankle with both hands, his footing slipping from under him. The railing was the only thing supporting Bill and Stan struggled to find something to latch onto while Ford gaped in horror. He couldn’t do anything. If he stopped steering, the waves might cause the entire boat to flip._

_Stanley sighed in defeat and yelled, “Kid, let go. Make sure Ford makes it to port safe, you hear me?!”_

_“Oh, I hear you, Fez, but I’m don’t take orders well. You don’t get to die today,” Bill tried to sound smug, but it came out_ frightened _? Bill’s grip was slipping on him, his yellow eyes wide with fear. The last time Stan saw that was when he punched him in the mindscape. Bill’s grip failed and everything in his vision turned blue for a moment. The next thing Stanley knew, the storm had died down to a quiet rain and he was lying on the floorboards of the boat. He looked up to see Bill, staring in either awe or terror at his hands._

_“Fez, I have magic again.”_

“So he regained some of his powers by saving your life.” It wasn’t a question. “If Bill never snuck on your ship, you would have died.” Also, not a question. Dipper stared at the ground, several emotions buzzing around him at once but he felt strangely numb to them. Why was he so calm about this? He should be concerned, fearful, enraged, but nothing came.

Stan chuckled, “That’s right, kid. Ford and I wouldn’t have made it back home if it wasn’t for Bill saving our tails on several occasions, actually.”

“How did you know he wasn’t using you to take care of him until he regained his power?”

“Here’s the part you will be mad at. We made a deal with him.”

“YOU WH-“ Dipper was cut himself off when he noticed the tired look his Grunkle gave him. “What was the deal?”

 “Once he regains his original form, he has to leave this dimension alone for good if we help guide him through being human.”

“But how do you know he’ll even keep his word?!” Dipper was getting tired. He was ready to go back to the pool house and crawl underneath his blankets and pass out. He didn’t have the energy to finish dealing with this today, if ever.

“Honestly, we don’t. We took a leap of faith because you can’t spend ten years with someone and not build up some sort of mutual trust.”

Dipper scowled. He couldn’t believe his ears. _Bill_ had been with his Grunkles the past ten years. _Bill_ wormed his way into their lives. _Bill_ got to see in person all the neat things that Stan and Ford saw over the years. _Bill_ ruined their homecoming. “I’m going back to the pool house. I need some time to, _process_ this,” Dipper said, trying not to sound upset as he stormed pass Stan who nodded understandingly. He quickly made his way back to the party, which seemed to thin out. He wanted to at least say good night and good bye to a few people instead of just disappearing.

Something shiny caught the corner of his eye and he saw Wendy, Pacifica and Mabel laughing, completely covered in glitter. He was on his way to ask them what happened when he was suddenly engulfed in glitter himself. Dipper looked over his shoulder to see a laughing Bill and he quickly turned around and grabbed Bill by the collar of his shirt, “What the hell are you doing?”

“Dipper, accept your penalty with grace like the rest of us!” he heard Mabel drunkenly call from the distance. _Right, the game. I lost._ He let go of Bill joined the girls, “I’m going to shower and call it a night.” “What? Lame, bro-bro, you’re getting old fast.” Mabel snorted. He smiled at her and ruffled her hair, “Yeah, yeah. Try not to stay up too late. Wendy, Paz, it really is good seeing you guys again. We should all get together again once we’re settled.”

Pacifica gave him an awkward smile and Wendy punched him lightly in the shoulder, “Definitely, dude.”

Refusing to drag all this glitter into the pool house, Dipper used the outside shower to rinse off the best he could. A glint of blonde hair in his peripheral caught his attention, “Dude, can’t you just leave me alone?”

“That hurts, Pine Tree. I here I thought I was making a good first impression. Well, I guess this wouldn’t be a ‘first’ impression, but you get the picture.”

Dipper didn’t look at him to see what kind of expression he was wearing. It stung Dipper’s pride a little to not notice it was Bill all along. He had the suspicion but he foolishly pushed it back.

He could have hurt him, or worse, Mabel. _But he didn’t,_ a small nagging voice in his head said. Everyone he could possibly want revenge on was gathered in one spot for him to destroy and he ran around playing a water gun version Hunger Games with them. These revelations were making Dipper’s head hurt. 

                “You don’t have to worry about me doing anything. Let’s call a truce and put all the water under the bridge. Sixer and Fez managed to do so.”

                Dipper groaned. He was too tired for this. “Stay away from Mabel,” was all he managed to say before heading inside to shower for real and pass out.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally two separate chapters but they didn't feel long enough so I ended up combining them. I will admit, the beginning chapter was a little inspired by When They Cry which is a great psychological/horror/mystery anime but not for the faint of heart. But I've been having a blast writing this so I hope you're enjoying it too!


	4. Hangovers and Mall Trips

Dipper rolled over and glanced at his phone. It was a little past eight in the morning. He groaned and rolled back over. He tossed and turned for a good ten minutes before he gave up on forcing his body to go back to sleep. He was definitely not ready to deal with today.

He threw on a navy blue t-shirt, gray cargo shorts and his black tennis shoes. Mabel wouldn’t be up for a couple more hours so he figured he’d make himself some coffee and start unpacking his room. He really appreciated the set up Mabel and him had. His room already had a bed, chest of drawers, a walk in closet, built in bookshelves surrounding the window and a personal bathroom. The walls were covered with light blue wallpaper and had light blue carpeting to compliment it giving it a hotel vibe. It was a bit more ritzy than he expected, but this _did_ used to be the Northwest Mansion. 

Dipper had most of his things unpacked within a couple hours save for a few boxes he had shoved in his closet. He only had his clothes and books with him after all. His roommates in college were the ones with all the posters and wall decorations.

He did have a corkboard dedicated to supernatural sighting though. Like how Mabel had her scrapbooks, this was Dipper’s way of keeping track of something he was  once passionate about. He realized a long time ago, that even though Gravity Falls was pretty much the center of a lot of the paranormal things in the Pacific Northwest, there were little things here and there that he managed to stumble upon since he and Mabel were very active with camping trips and exploring different areas.

The ringing of his cell phone pulled Dipper out of his musings. He recognized his Grunkle’s new number and answered, “Hello?”

“Hey kiddo! I’m making Stancakes in the main house. Go wake your sister and get your butts over here.”

“Sure. Are you planning on telling her about, _you know_?” Dipper asked cautiously.

“We are kid, but not in front of Fiddleford and his son. This is a family secret for the time being.”

“Yeah, that probably is for the best. I’ll go get Mabel now. See you in a bit.”

Dipper hung up and headed downstairs. Mabel had dibs on the two rooms downstairs because they had a door leading in between them which was super convenient for her art projects. Dipper didn’t mind. They agreed that one of the extra rooms upstairs would be his office and the last room would be a guest room in case one of their college friends or their parents wanted to visit them.

Dipper knocked on his sister’s door, only to be greeted by silence. He peeked inside the room to see her messy brown hair splayed in all directions, a trail of glitter leading to her dresser and then to her bed, and she had herself cocooned in her blanket. He approached her bed quietly and gently said, “Mabes, time to wake up. Grunkle Stan is making Stancakes at the main house.” She mumbled something unintelligible and rolled over. “Mabel, if you don’t get up, drastic measures will be deployed.”

Still no answer as she shifted to lie on her stomach.

 Dipper took a seat in the curve of her back, squishing his twin. “Dipper, get off!” she yelled as she struggled against him, her blanket cocoon working against her. “You gonna get ready if I do?” “Yes, ugh, I’ll get up,” she said defeated, her face buried in the pillow. Dipper got off of her, and she sat up slowly and gave him a death glare. Dipper almost immediately regretted his decision to antagonize his clearly hungover sister.

“How about I go find some aspirin and make some coffee for you?” he said quickly and left the room before she could lash out.

When Mabel finally emerged from the room, dressed in some comfortable leggings and oversized sweater, she grabbed the aspirin and glass of water Dipper had set out on the kitchen bar for her. After downing the pill and water, she turned her head to see Dipper extending a cup of hot coffee to her. “I don’t like you,” she muttered but accepted the coffee anyway, taking a sip. “To be fair, you’ve done that to me like a million times. At least I didn’t tickle you like you did me,” Dipper retorted. Mabel shrugged. He knew she knew he was right.

Dipper was thankful that Mabel perked up as they walked to the main house. He was really hoping that she would be at a hundred percent when it was time to tell her about Bill. He really wanted to be able to talk to her about this. He felt like wanted to question everything behind his Grunkles’ actions, but he couldn’t. There was a nagging feeling in the back of his head that compelled him to just trust them. But Bill? He couldn’t ever trust _him_.

When they walked into the main house, Ford greeted them. “Hey, kids! Kitchen’s this way,” he gestured for them to follow him. They followed him past the dining hall, which looked like it was made for fifty people, and into the kitchen where Stan was flipping Stancakes, and Fiddleford and his son, Tate, were sitting at a much more reasonably sized table in the corner of the kitchen.

 Bi- er, _William_ was leaning back on a barstool, wearing dark wash jeans with a black button up, his eyes hidden behind his yellow aviators and was looking bored as he flipped through a magazine. Dipper decided that he was not going to deal with him right now and focused on the people who were helping him and Mabel out.

“Old Man McGucket,” Dipper said cheerfully and gave the old man a hug, Mabel following suit, crushing them both into a bear hug.

“Oh. Em. Gee. Mr. Fiddleford, thank you, thank you, thank you, so much for letting us stay in the pool house! It’s amazing!” Mabel said, finally letting them go. “Anything for Ford’s great niece and nephew, not to mention the ones who saved Gravity Falls!” the older ma said while smiling at them, kind eyes shining behind his glasses.

“Psssssh, that was a team effort and you know it. There was no way we could have kicked Bill’s triangular butt without you and you’re awesome inventions,” Mabel gushed. Dipper snuck a glance at Bill, and noticed he was still looking through his magazine with indifference. Dipper was a little disappointed but also thankful by his lack of reaction.

Before anything else could be said, “Stan placed a plate of piping hot Stancakes on the table for everyone to help themselves to. Stan passed a smaller plate to Bill, who finally put down his magazine and dug into the food in front of him.

Dipper and Mabel sat down with Fiddleford and Tate as they went over some of the details of their latest inventions with them. By the time they were done catching up, it was almost noon. Fiddleford and Tate said their goodbyes as they went to go work on building their latest project in the basement.

Dipper stood up from his seat and stretched, “Come on, Mabel. We should get that shopping trip out of the way.” Mabel was getting up to follow suit when they heard Ford say, “Wait. There’s something I need to discuss with you two.” Mabel looked at her Grunkle with big eyes and Dipper eyed Bill, whose nose was back into the magazine.

“What’s up, Grunkle Ford?” Mabel pressed.

“This is hard to do, so I’m just going to say it. I need to share with you that William, is actually Bill. Bill Cipher.”

“Sup,” Bill said, nonchalantly without even sparing a glance from his magazine.

Mabel started to tremble and Dipper caught her shoulders and held her steady, “Y-you’re kidding. This is a joke, right Grunkle Ford? Grunkle Stan?” Her eyes travelled to her other Grunkle in hopes of a sign while gripping her brother’s hand on her shoulder.

“H-how did this happen?” she asked, and then whirled around to Dipper, “Did you know?” Dipper shook his head, “I actually found out after our water gun fight.” She punch his chest, knocking the wind out of him for a moment, “Why didn’t you tell me?!” “You were drunk and covered in glitter. I-I didn’t want to ruin your fun since I knew we would be dealing with this today, right now.”

 Mabel pinched the bridge of her nose. He could tell her head was still hurting from the hangover. “Mabel, sweetie, we can explain if you’re willing to listen.” Mabel looked at them and gave them the same solemn nod that Dipper gave Stan last night.

With Ford helping tell the story, everything was better explained. He explained that they actually typed up a full contract with no loopholes for the deal and told stories about how Bill had actually saved them cannibalistic tribes and from falling into the depths of the Bermuda Triangle. Dipper and Mabel both realized to the full extent that if Bill wasn’t with them, they would not have made it back.

Mabel looked up at Bill, who moved on from his magazine and was scrolling through his phone.

Dipper watched with caution as she approached their old foe, “So, you saved my Grunkles during their trip and you promised to leave humanity alone when you’re powers are restored?” Bill looked up from his phone giving her a cocky grin, “It’s all true, Shooting Star.” She embraced Bill in a hug and whispered, “Thank you for saving them,” but before he even had time to react, she tightened the embrace into her world famous bear hug (which she calls her multi-bear hug, go figure) and Dipper’s lip twitched upward when he thought he saw him turning blue.

“If you betray us, one step out of line, I’ll make sure to throw you to the wolves,” Mabel said, seriously before letting go. Dipper suppressed a laugh when Bill reached for his throat as he gasped for air. He was proud that his sister grew up to be such a badass.

“So, are we good here? Everyone on the same page?” Stan posed the question to both of them, an obvious worried look on his face. Dipper bit his cheek in thought for a moment before responding, “Yeah, we’re good. I may not trust that thing,” he pointed at Bill, who muttered “Rude,” under his breath, before looking back to his Grunkles, “But I trust you two. And that will never change.” Mabel held her bottle of water up and shouted, “Here! Here!”

“Now, let’s hurry to the mall. We still have a lot of things to unpack,” Dipper said, getting ready to head out the door. “Alright, but only if you drive,” Mabel insisted.

“Hey, could I go with you guys?” Bill asked, finally breathing normally. Dipper and Mabel looked at each other for a moment before Mabel turned back to him and said, “Sure, why not?” Dipper groaned.

\-----------------------------

Dipper would have just preferred to ride in silence but his sister, the beautiful social butterfly that she is, dived right into asking Bill all sorts of questions about the past ten years. “So you were there when they accidentally woke up a Kraken?”

“Yeah, that was before my powers reawakened so we had to think fast. It was trying to drag our entire boat underwater and that’s when Fez punched it in the eye. It was hilarious!”

“That sounds as hilarious as the time he punched a pterodactyl while having Waddles strapped to his chest,” Mabel, said laughing. “Oh, that reminds me Dip Dop, I’ll need to borrow the car for the next couple of days to pick up Waddles from Piedmont.”

“I thought you were going to wait until next week?”

“I was, but now we’re going to run the shack for Soos and Melody so I want to be back in time to throw them a baby shower!” Mabel cheered. Dipper sulked a little, “Right.” He, Mabel and Bill were going to run the shack. _How did I get myself into this?_

“Anyone you want me to say hi to while I’m down there? Jeff? _Crystal?_ ” Mabel nudged him with her elbow playfully. Dipper grumbled, “Definitely not Crystal. I don’t need her blowing up my phone with Snapchat and Facebook tags. That girl seriously has an addiction to social media.”

“Aw, c’mon bro! Quit being such a sourpuss,” Mabel said, pinching his cheek as he pulled into a parking lot. “Yeah Pine Tree, I didn’t even imagine you being a part of a social circle, let alone have friends,” Bill laughed. Dipper scowled and got out of the car. He’d rather have all of his teeth pulled than to be doubled teamed by Mabel and Bill.

With it being early in the summer, the mall wasn’t as crowded since people haven’t left for vacation yet, to Dipper’s relief. “Okay, sis, what all do you have to get?”

“Well, I need a new summer wardrobe and some art supplies,” she said eagerly. Dipper bit back a groan. This was definitely going to take a while. “Well, I just need a new comforter set and some notebooks. I should probably get a comforter set for the guest room too, while I’m at it. Also, I need to get some more contacts since I’m down to my last pair. What do you have to get, Bill?” Bill looked up thoughtfully for a moment, “Actually contacts wouldn’t be a bad idea. Don’t they have colored ones? I could finally ditch these dumb sunglasses.”

_Great, so I’m escorting the demon around the mall._ “Okay, I say we split up and meet at the food court around three, sound good?”

“Sounds like a plan, man!” Mabel cheered out before walking away. “See ya, brosky!”

Dipper turned around and looked at the directory. When he found what he was looking for he briskly headed in that direction, a set of footsteps falling in place next to him.

“So, Pine Tree, what have you been doing these past ten years?” Dipper glanced over to see Bill who giving him his cocky grin. “Nothing that concerns you,” he replied harshly. “Hey, you know what I’ve been up to, it only seems fair that you tell me what you’ve been doing.”

Dipper stopped abruptly, “Don’t concern yourself with me and what I’ve been doing. Besides, I’m sure Stan and Ford told you everything in the emails I’ve been sending or you could see everything for yourself, Mr. ‘I’ll be watching.’” Dipper enunciated his point with air quotes.

“Contrary to what you _believe_ you know I actually haven’t been able to use my many eyes. Just these two,” he pointed at his face and then continued to make his point, “and Fez and Sixer refused to share any information with me about anyone they know, especially anything about you and Shooting Star so indulge my curiosity.” That information made Dipper feel a relieved and agitated at the same time. His Grunkles didn’t tell them about Bill, but they didn’t tell Bill about them and where they were either.

Dipper felt like he was at a crossroads. He could either be like his sister and make the best of a bad situation or more like him and push the thing he perceived as a threat further away. Before he could decide which road he wanted to take, his phone started ringing. Dipper turned away from Bill, thankful for the distraction, he quickly answered it without checking to see who it was, “Hello?”

“Oh, good, you answered! I was starting to get worried about you. You never called me like you said you would,” a female voice spoke. “Oh, hey Shae. Sorry about that, I kind of got caught in a whirlwind when I got here,” Dipper spoke sheepishly.

“Well the other reason I’m calling is that I think some of my clothes got mixed in with yours. I’m missing my yellow dress with the pink flowers? Also a couple shirts.”

“Oh, shit, I’ll dig around and see if I can find them. If I do, I’ll send them out as soon as possible.”

“Cool, just text me if you can’t find them so I know if I need to start interrogating my friends,” she said with a short laugh.

“Yeah, will do. By Shae,” Dipper said, sulking a little.

“Bye, Dip,” Shae said, mirroring the sadness in his voice before they hung up. Dipper looked over to find Bill eyeing some watches in a jewelry case and called out to him.

“Ready to go, Bill?”

Bill looked up and nodded his head with a too wide grin. “Sure thing, Pine Tree!”

They walked in silence. Dipper had his shoulders slumped and hands shoved in his pockets while Bill took confident strides next to him. _I’m surprised he’s not being more annoying. He used to have an attention span of a five year old when it didn’t pertain to his plans._

Dipper mulled the thought around in his head until they finally reached the optometrist.

Dipper had a quick eye exam it was decided that his old prescription would work just fine. The optometrist convinced him to buy enough contacts for the year and they even managed to convince him to get new lenses and frames just in case something happened, which they conveniently already had in stock. While Dipper was trying on some frames when he heard Bill ask the girl at the counter, “Do you sell colored contact lenses?”

“Of course we do! What color were you looking for?”

“I’m thinking something dark. Do you have brown?”

“Actually, I think blue or green would suit you better,” Dipper heard himself contribute before he could stop himself. Bill gave the cashier a curious look and she nodded in agreement. “Blue it is then,” he smiled at her.

They made their purchases and Bill was unable to wait until they got home to put in his new contacts, so he ran to the nearest bathroom. When he came out, his eyes looked completely normal. This is the first time Dipper got to see his entire face in proper lighting and he took note of his features. His eyes were a little wider than a normal person’s, he had a narrow nose, and thin lips which were perfect for his extremely wide grins. Bill Cipher didn’t look half bad as a human. He actually looked _normal._ Dipper mentally slapped himself for that thought and replaced his train of thought with another.

“Hey, weren’t your eyes glowing last night?” Dipper asked, genuinely curious. “They only do that when this body is under a lot of duress. I had alcohol in my system and I was chasing you through a forest so that’s probably what caused it.”

Dipper absorbed this new information and then glanced down at his watch. They would need to meet Mabel in half an hour so he deducted that he had at least forty five minutes to go find a comforter set for his new bed. Mabel ran on something Dipper referred to as “Mabel Time” because she was always fifteen to thirty minutes late to everything so Dipper just started telling her times thirty minutes in advanced.

“We still have some time. I think the department store is this way,” Dipper said absentmindedly heading the way they came from, steps still keeping up next to him.

“So, are you going to answer my question, Pine Tree?”

“What question?”

Bill shot him an annoyed look, “What have you been doing the past ten years?”

Dipper sighed in defeat. Bill wasn’t going to let this go. “Just normal human stuff. I went to school, graduated, went to college, and graduated again.”

“There’s got to be more to it than that, like who was that on the phone earlier?”

“No one you need to worry about.”

Bill grabbed Dippers forearm and stopped both of them in their tracks, “I’ve been patient with you, Pine Tree. I’m trying to play nice and do what humans do. Am I doing it wrong?” Bill’s face looked like he was looking for a genuine answer, despite his sharp tone.

Dipper shook him off and took a moment recall everything that happened today. Bill had given him space, taken his advice on something, and acted like a normal human being for the most part. He reluctantly decided that he could stand to vent a little. Mabel would probably blab about it anyway if Bill decided to ask her.

“Fine, fine,” Dipper said, holding his hands up in defeat. “That was my ex from college. She has another year in school and is going to spend it abroad. She was never crazy about the idea of moving to Gravity Falls so we broke it off,” Dipper said, rubbing the back of his head while looking away.

“Aw, Pine Tree was in love! Who’d have thought?” Bill teased while elbowing him in the side and Dipper almost cringed at how much he sounded like Mabel just then. “No, no. We weren’t together that long, though I did pretty much live with her during the last month. We just had fun together,” Dipper corrected. It was definitely weird to talk about this kind of thing with Bill of all people. He definitely wasn’t going to do this again.

Bill nodded content with that answer and they walked in silence for a moment before another question popped up in Dipper’s mind.

“Hey Bill?”

“Yeah, Pine Tree?”

“You seem a lot more,” Dipper paused for a moment to think of the right word, “ _calm_ than I expected. You used to act really off the wall.”

Bill had a look of pride on his face at those words, “Well, if I’m going to survive as a human, _especially,_ in Gravity Falls I have to act the part. Good to know it’s working here. I had way too many close calls in different ports for being, what was the phrase Fordsy used?  I was ‘being an annoying, uncivilized jackass,’” he stated, using air quotes, “Not to mention I never noticed how much easier it is to focus in on something when you don’t have a bunch of information being jammed in your head from all directions. This is the first time I’ve been able to clearly see what’s in front of me. But I do miss having infinite knowledge at my fingertips.”

Dipper then realized that his hunch was right. Bill was just playing a part and not actually gaining any form of humanity. The only useful info that Dipper gained from that little tirade was that Bill is just focusing on what’s in front of him, and right now that was him and his entire family. _Shit._

 


	5. Shopping Bags and Arcades

Mabel dropped seven huge bags on the table next to the boys in the food court. “Geez, Mabes, how did you lug all of this across the mall?” Bill and Dipper were already halfway through their food when Mabel arrived.

“Oh, ye of little faith, you forget that I have years of training,” she responding, sitting down in front of plate of food that Dipper had ordered for her. A chocolate milkshake paired with chicken strips and crinkle cut French fries.

“Oh, bro, you really know how to treat a, lady,” she said while dipping a French fry into her milkshake. “Speaking of which,” she started, pulling out a piece of paper with a phone number on it and handing it to her brother, “Her name is Carla, I showed her your picture and she thinks you’re very cute.” She ended the sentence with a sing song voice.

Bill snorted and Dipper blushed, “Mabel, I don’t need you setting up dates for me. I just broke up with Shae to come here. It’s too soon.”

“You _need_ to call or text her, brosky. I’m just taking preventive measures, so you don’t end up like last time,” Mabel huffed.

“What happened last time?” Bill queried, leaning forward a smirk on his mouth that said that he was ready to find out some good taunting material.

“Mabel, don-“

“He wound up stuck in a dry spell for two years,” Mabel snorted. Dipper’s face got a brighter red and mumbled out excuses, “Well, that’s not- I had a lot going on and couldn’t concentrate on that stuff.”

“What do you mean by dry spell?” Bill asked, with a raised eyebrow.

“It means that you haven’t gotten la-“

“A DATE! In a while. A date,” Dipper’s voice cracked a little when he cut off his snickering sister.

“You can’t let your nerd stuff consume you now that we’re back, bro-bro. I blame myself for not helping you find a girl last time and now I want you out in the field ASAP!” Mabel declared, trying to make her voice sound manly.

Dipper rolled his eyes but still humored her, “Yes, Coach Mable.”

Dipper looked up to see Bill trying his best to stifle a laugh before he finished off his burger. Out of all the people his sister had to embarrass him in front of, it had to be Bill fucking Cipher.

“So, Shooting Star, you know where to buy the best clothes, right?” Bill asked, picking at the last of his fries.

“Of course, I have to stay on top of the latest fashion designs if I’m going to own my own shop someday,” Mabel stated, proudly. Dipper was relieved that the subject had been changed but grew weary of where it was headed. Dipper was well past ready to leave the mall.

“Could you help me find some clothes that are more my style? I only own maybe three good outfits right now and that is unacceptable,” Bill stated, turning his nose up. It’s a good thing Mabel was already done with her food because she stood up as fast and she could and started tugging on Bill’s sleeve to get him to stand up. “Of course that is unacceptable. You poor dear, I’ll have you fixed up in no time!” Dipper groaned, not really wanting to be a part of this but not willing to leave his sister alone with the (previously?) insane dream demon.

“Okay, let’s get this over with,” Dipper said, moving to grab Mabel’s bags for her. “Pine Tree, how about you drop those off at the car? We’ll be done in no time,” Bill said slyly. “I don’t mind carrying them,” Dipper insisted, his fake smile slightly twitching at the corners.

“Dipper, we’ll be fine if you’d prefer to go to the arcade or something,” Mabel had her eyes narrowed, accusingly. She knew Dipper hated walking through the mall and she didn’t want him being over protective of him. They had moved past that. He knew his sister was not the type of girl who needed saving.

Dipper held his hands up in defeat, “You win, just call me if you need anything.”

“Will do, Dipping Sauce,” Mabel happily replied with a wink, before dragging her new project off. Dipper stared after them until they disappeared into the crowd.

\--------------------------------

                To Mabel’s (pleasant) surprise, shopping with Bill had been fun! An adventure, one could say.  They exchanged stories about Bill’s time overseas and how being human is for him and Mabel informed him of some of her and Dipper’s crazy college days. Well, mostly Mabel’s college days were crazy, but Dipper had a few good ones in there.

                When they exited the department store, both with armloads of bags, they were laughing at the story Mabel was telling about the first time Dipper had got wasted when she was the designated driver and how he thought that the some headlights coming towards them on a dark country road were aliens coming to abduct them. 

“And then I said, ‘See, bro? They were just headlights!’ and he was all like, ‘No way, a millisecond is like an hour for them. We were already abducted!’ and then he just passed out. I didn’t let him forget about that for a while!” Mabel snickered.

Bill could barely breathe between laughs, “Man, I would have loved to see Pine Tree freaking out like that, but he was right! It does only take a millisecond for aliens to pick you and put you down. Though headlights aren’t the tale tell sign. Streetlights going out as you drive past them are.”

Mabel gave him an incredulous look, “You mean every time a streetlight goes out in front of me, I’ve been abducted?!”

“Probably not every time but at least a couple,” Bill said so casually leaving Mabel to start rethinking her life in that moment. After shaking her head to prevent an existential crisis over aliens she pulled out her phone to shoot a text to Dipper, letting him know to meet them at the car now.

“Thanks for actually talking to me, Shooting Star. Shame your brother isn’t as open as you, I bet he has some interesting stories too,” Bill stated.

“Yeah, he sure does. You know what they say about the shy ones, they’re actually the wildest. Dipper really came out of his shell in high school. But you can’t really blame him for being careful after, well, you know, everything,” Mabel said, with utmost seriousness.

Bill tilted his head in thought, “Why aren’t you as cautious? I understand that you guys have to accept the fact that I exist, but I admit, I was expecting more resistance. The old guys nearly killed me themselves or just let me die on my own time and time again until I proved my worth. I was expecting the same process with you two, but here we are toting human clothes around together.”

“I love and trust my Grunkles. I know they wouldn’t bring you into our lives unless they were absolutely certain that you wouldn’t betray them again. I think Dipper knows that too, and trust me, he is actually handling this pretty well. Plus, you admitted that to destroy you completely all we have to do is murder you. If you really had no weaknesses then you wouldn’t have even bothered with us unless you were flat out trying to destroy us,” she said, in a matter of fact tone of voice.

“You’re smarter than you let on, Shooting Star.”

“I’m going to take that as a compliment,” Mabel snorted. She looked up for a moment, another question on her tongue, but Bill beat her to the punch.   

“Though that still doesn’t explain Pine Tree’s indifference. I imagined him making a giant list of questions and concerns forcing us to go through every single one,” Bill said, half seriously.

“Well, he hasn’t done that kind of thing in years. Thanks to yours truly, I managed to get him down the path to a normal, healthy life,” Mabel stated proudly. Bill’s face twisted a little, like he was thinking about something, but he didn’t say anything in response.

“Bill?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you think being human changed you?”

Bill started laughing again, “You and Pine Tree both have the same thought process. To answer your question, I’m still the fantastic triangle you all know and love. I’ve just learned to blend better into the public. And I still plan to throw the biggest party any dimension has ever seen, but I’ll just have to go do that somewhere else now. I waited several millennia for it so I can stand to wait a couple more.”

Mabel was amazed at the fact that he could talk about thousands of years as if they were just a couple of days to him. She also felt relieved to get conformation from him directly that he planned to leave this dimension alone after everything was said and done. To Mabel, it really felt like he was telling the truth.

\---------------------------------------------------------------

                After finally receiving the text from Mabel, Dipper finished up his game of Fight Fighters XII when he saw two familiar figures approach him.

“Dipper! How’s our favorite wannabe detective?” Sheriff Blubs joked, while nudging his partner, Deputy Durland.

Dipper smiled, feeling a wave of nostalgia hit him as he greeted what seemed to be the only two law enforcers in this town. “I’ve been great. Mabel and I just moved to Gravity Falls for good!” he announced. “We heard! Sorry we couldn’t make it to your homecoming last night. We’ve been having a, uh, bit of a situation,” Durland said, disappointedly.

“What situation?” Dipper asked, immediately concerned.

“Well, since you _just_ got back you probably haven’t heard, but campers that have been going into the woods have been either coming back really ill or collapsing until a search party finds them. We’ve had to send out five search parties just this week! We don’t know if it’s a bug going around or something in _the supernatural department_. We were wondering if you could help us check it out?” Blubs asked, keeping voice hushed.

Dipper’s head was buzzing with excitement as he pulled his phone out and went to his memos app, “Give me the details and I’ll check it out for you. What are the symptoms?”

“Fevers, chills, and fatigue. The doctors at the hospital aren’t sure of the cause. The patients said that at first they were just getting tired easily and then before they knew it, they could barely move. Two are comatose now,” Durland informed in the same hushed tone.

“Did any of them give a time frame on when they started feeling bad? Like how long into their trip or the time of day?”

“The ones that could talk mostly said they started feeling bad almost directly after sunset. That’s why they didn’t think it was anything to be concerned about though there were a couple cases of people passing out in broad daylight while hiking,” Blubs answered.

“Did they see anything weird before the fatigue hit?”

“No, when we asked they just said they only saw regular wildlife. Not even a mention of a gnome and those little buggers are everywhere.”

“Were they in any particular part of the forest?”

“Not really. We’ve picked up people from all corners.”

Dipper furrowed his eyebrows. He was probably going to have to explore every inch of the forest.

“I’ll see what I can find out for you guys. I’ll scope the forest during the day tomorrow, but Mabel’s going out of town for a couple of days and I want her to be with me for backup when I investigate at night,” Dipper said.

“Thanks, kid! We knew we could count on you. Camping has been suspended and everyone who was still in the forest has been sent packing so no one will be in your way,” Blubs said, before turning to leave. “We’ll meet you there to give you a map, just call the station and let us know what time!” Durland and Blubs left the arcade, waving back at Dipper.

Dipper waved goodbye and returned to his task of meeting Bill and Mabel back at the car.

 

“Bro, what took you so long? We’ve been waiting for like eveeeeer!” Mabel wined. “Sorry,” Dipper said as he unlocked the car for Mabel and Bill, “I actually ran into Blubs and Durland on my way here.”

He slid into the driver’s seat and Mabel joined him on the passenger side after she and Bill put all the bags in the trunk. He waited until he saw Bill in the rearview mirror before starting the car.

“So how have they been doing? I remember they got married a month after,” she paused for a minute glancing in the mirror at Bill before trying to find the right words, “A couple weeks after we left.” Mabel said carefully.

“They seem to be doing great, but they think that there is some supernatural trouble going on. I told them I would scope out the woods tomorrow but wait until you get back from Piedmont before I do anything real investigating,” Dipper said.

Mabel playfully punched his arm, “You’re darn right you’re waiting for me. What’s going on?”

“A mysterious illness is plaguing the campers. It’s not effecting anyone in town and only people who are staying overnight in the forest are falling ill.”

“It sounds dangerous. I think I’d prefer if you waited for me to get back before going to check it out, even if it is during the day,” Mabel said, with a pout.

Dipper stared at the road for a moment. Would it be better if he waited for Mabel? Right before he could say anything, Bill interjected.

“Why should he wait? He can survive without you for a day, Shooting Star.”

Mabel let out a sigh, “Yeah, you’re right,” she turned to look at Dipper, “But if there’s any trouble, you better call me!”

Dipper nodded in agreement. “Of course!”

“So, Bill, do you know anything that could cause sickness?” Mabel asked. Dipper’s eye twitched when Mabel included him. He hated feeling like he was being petty, but this was going to be their first Mystery Twins case since they’ve been back to Gravity Falls and he didn’t want to include _him_ of all people.

“Hmm,” he lolled his head side to side in thought, “It sounds like something new, actually. I know all the creatures in _this_ forest and there wasn’t anything that could do that. I can think of a few from overseas that would cause this kind of thing, but I doubt any of them would migrate over here on their own.”

Dipper pressed his lips together. He was not going to be baited into asking Bill anything. Dipper found that he really genuinely didn’t want to know anything about Bill. “I guess Mabel and I will just have to find out for ourselves then,” Dipper said sourly, hoping that he would catch the hint.

“Oh! Dipper, we should stop and get some groceries for the house. I’d hate to come home to find you starved to death without me.”

Dipper nodded, and changed his course. “We could also stop by the package store too and stock up the bar a little.”

“Yeah! But you better not party without me!” Mabel said, lightly punching his shoulder.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Dipper laughed.


	6. Into the Woods

Mabel left early in the morning with the car and U-Haul, leaving Dipper alone in the new place. He was feeling immediately lonely without his twin. Sure, they’ve been without each other for a few days before, but he always had roommates to help fill the void. At that moment, he decided that when he got back from his hike in the woods that he would go see if he could help Stan and Ford unpack their things, even though living on a boat probably left them without a lot of personal effects. Ether way, it would still be nice to hang out with them.

Dipper sighed into his cup of coffee and continued reading an article on his phone about the mysterious illness that is plaguing campers. Camping is officially prohibited until further notice by the board of health and safety and they are considering quarantining until they can further study the current victims even though there are no signs of whatever it is spreading.

Dipper was determined to find the cause. He was fully dressed for his trip into the woods donning cargo pants, some really comfortable tennis shoes, a worn, light blue t-shirt, and his hoodie.

He also had a small backpack that held some provisions like a couple bottles of water, some trail mix, and some composition notebooks and pens for him to make notes in and he would later transfer all the information neatly to his computer and main research journal which was severely lacking in information since Dipper hasn’t really had any real mysteries to hunt, though he did come across some anomalies occasionally. For instance, the reason Dipper always brought notebooks instead of his main journal was because during a casual camping trip with a buddy from high school, a Wendigo almost tore it to shreds.  

Dipper pulled his thoughts back to the present and decided that the earlier he got started on this, the better. No one was showing any signs of recovering and if he finds out that it was just a spore or a magical prank, he could quickly get the cure to these poor people. He downed the rest of his coffee and placed the mug in the sink before heading out the door.

 He went into the kitchen of the main house through the side door and as soon as he entered, he heard the sound of something being flung his way and instinctively raised his hand to catch it. He fumbled around for a minute before getting a good grip on the car keys that were chucked at him.

“Ready to hit the road?” Bill smirked from the barstool he was sitting on yesterday. There was no one else in the kitchen. “Where’s everyone? I thought they’d be having breakfast again.”

Bill stood up and moved closer to him, “It’s barely seven in the morning. Those geezers couldn’t be bothered to wake up before nine so they tasked me with handing you the keys.” If Dipper didn’t know any better, he would have thought Bill, the demon who almost brought on a worldwide apocalypse, was pouting.

“Well, you can go back to bed now. Thanks,” Dipper said with fake enthusiasm in his voice.

“Oh no you don’t, Pine Tree. I’m coming with you,” Bill said, grabbing Dipper’s shoulder as he tried to make his escape.

Dipper shrugged him off. “Dude, don’t touch me. And why do you want to go? Why have you been following me around since I’ve been back?” Dipper asked, probably a little too harshly. He was getting a burning sensation in the back of his head while he dealt with the demon, but he needed answers. Bill has been sticking to his side like glue since the party. First with the mall trip yesterday, then he stuck around during his and Mabel’s catch up time with the Stans, _and then_ hung out at the pool house with Mabel until past midnight before heading to his room in the main house. Dipper was pretty distraught that his sister was putting that much energy in making nice with the demon.

“Geez, Pine Tree, paranoid much? It isn’t about you. I’m just trying to figure out how people our age acts,” Bill said, gesturing between them. Dipper quirked his eyebrow in disbelief, forcing Bill to elaborate.

“Look, kid. I spent a lot of time alone on a boat with two very outdated persons. One, a brainiac who’s too smart for his own good and has a habit of getting wrapped up in his research and the other a con man that can barely talk himself out of a bad situation. You’ve see his track record for getting caught,” Bill said, bluntly.

Dipper narrowed his eyes at the _thing_ before him and said coldly, “I’m sure you’re better and talking your way out of things, _Bill Cipher_.”

“Oh, I _am_. But what I’m having trouble with is talking with people I have nothing to offer to and who don’t want anything from me. Making social connections for fun, you could say,” Bill deliberated.

“So, what you’re saying is you want friends?” Dipper asked, gaping slightly. This was definitely not the Bill Cipher he knew.

Bill rolled his eyes, “Did you not learn anything from your time at your puny college, Pine Tree? Social connections can take you far if you mingle with the right people. I can’t exactly use show off my magic and if I’m going to be stuck in this meatsack for the next sixty or seventy years, I want to at least be comfortable and have some fun.”

_Finally, some of his true colors are showing,_ Dipper thought. Oddly enough, this made Dipper feel comforted.

But Bill had a point and this caused Dipper to scowl for a moment. This pers- demon in front of him doesn’t deserve that. He deserves to live his mortal life grasping at straws and clawing his way up like the rest of humanity. Sure, he could live comfortably while Stan and Ford were around and even though Dipper didn’t want to think about this fact, they weren’t going to be around forever. Then Bill will be forced to find his way in the real world. Sure he had magic, but Bill was extremely high maintenance and wanted, no, needed to be the center of attention.

“Well, good luck with that,” Dipper snorted before finally turning tail to the truck, hoping that was enough to dissuade him from tagging along. To his dismay, he could hear a set of footsteps falling behind him and he held in a noise of frustration.

\------------------------------

 

The scent of nature engulfed Dipper as he concentrated on the map Blubs and Durland provided for him at the park entrance. He decided that scoping out the campsites that the victims stayed at would be a good place to start. Bill walked next to him, keeping his eyes forward.

Dipper immensely enjoyed the quietness of the forest. Nostalgia hit him in waves and he suddenly felt himself missing Mabel. He desperately wished his twin was there for his first trek back into the forest. She was the only one in his life he could ever truly count on. Bill on the other hand would probably leave him for dead and say that it was an accident and that he couldn’t do anything. Though, if Dipper was being honest with himself, he would do the same thing to Bill.

“So, Pine Tree, what _did_ you decide to study at that college of yours?” Bill’s question pulled Dipper out of his fantasy of Bill being mauled by the multibear. “Huh?”

“Geez, pay attention kid, I’m asking what you studied?” Bill snapped.

“Oh, um, history and anthropology,” Dipper stated, keeping his eyes on the map.

“Why? I always thought you’d do something more, science-y and paranormal like Fordsy.”

Dipper stopped in his tracks, looking over at Bill who paused with him, “Why did you think that?”

“Well, during the brief time I watched you, kid, you were idolizing him. I actually thought you’d take his apprenticeship. I was surprised that you weren’t on that boat, ready to jump headfirst into danger but I see that you actually balanced out into an acceptable member of society,” Bill stated something that should have normally been a compliment as an insult.

Dipper continued walking while looking at the trail and even though Bill was walking beside him he could still feel his eyes on him. “It’s not like I gave up chasing the supernatural. I’ve done plenty of independent research,“ Dipper defended while making sure to keep his answers vague. He was uncomfortable of the fact that the demon had even thought of him after his defeat. He didn’t want to think about all of the crazy revenge plans that probably crossed the demon’s mind. Dipper put his nose back into the map hoping that the conversation would end.

“Like what?” Bill pressed, to Dipper’s dismay.

“Lots of things,” Dipper shrugged.

“Pine Tree,” Bill stated, Dipper could hear a hint of warning in his voice.

“I’ll tell you about it after we find where we’re going.”

“ _Kid_ ,” Bill said sharply. Dipper snapped his head up to look at him, ready to snap back at him when his foot slipped causing him to tumble down a small, muddy cliff and landing hard on his ass.

Bill guffawed from the top for a moment before easily sliding down the cliff to join Dipper. “I tried to warn ya, kid,” he said, holding out a hand to help him. Dipper glared for a quick moment before standing up, ignoring the hand, and brushing himself off. The mud was caked on to his cargo pants and Dipper held in a frustrated noise.

When he looked up, he realized he accidentally fell into one of the campsites. There was a fire pit and some RV tracks, leading to another trail. Dipper immediately started scoping out the site. He didn’t see anything out of the ordinary just some deer tracks and a few bird feathers in the surrounding area. _Nothing supernatural to be seen here._

Dipper sat down on a log that was placed by the fire pit and pulled out a bottle of water. He glanced at Bill who was still standing by the cliff, his arms crossed and a stoic expression plastered on his face. Dipper inwardly cringed at what he was about to do. Damn his parents for raising him to be a good person.

He held up the water bottle, “Want some?” Bill still stared at him with the same stoic expression, but nodded nonetheless. Dipper set the bottle next to him, and pulled out the second one he brought. Bill snagged the water bottle Dipper set down and took a seat next to him. Dipper spared a glace out of the corner of his eye to see Bill chugging from the bottle. A brief memory flashed before Dipper’s eyes and he half expected Bill to start pouring the water into his eyes and nostrils.

Dipper snorted and quickly realized his mistake and turned his vision forward, gingerly taking a sip from his own bottle.

“What’s so funny, Pine Tree?” Bill leered.

“I’m just glad you finally figured out how to drink something like a person,” Dipper teased. When he glanced back at Bill, he was staring at him with a wide grin. Something about that grin made Dipper uneasy. _Great, I probably got him remembering the “good ol’ days.”_

Dipper cleared his throat and threw his water bottle back into his bag. Unlike Bill, he was saving the last half for later. Bill casually crumpled up the bottle and tossed it to the ground. Dipper sighed, unsure of what he was expecting from the blonde and picked it and put it in his bag, ready to continue the trek. It was going to be a long day.

 

Dipper and Bill spent a good three hours in the woods before Dipper decided that it was time to go home. Bill spent most of the time either being stoically quiet or asking probing questions about his life choices, like, “Why do you dress like that? Are you trying to embarrass your sister?” or “When are you finally going to get a respectable haircut?” or (And Dipper felt as though Bill was testing how far he could go before he pissed Dipper off with this one), “How many girlfriends have you had? I know Star confirmed at least two but I honestly think that you shouldn’t reproduce. Speaking of Shooting Star, she’s quite a pair of legs on-“ Dipper had pushed him before he could finish his sentence and they tussled for a couple minutes before Bill tossed him aside. Dipper couldn’t even remember the last time someone could make him feel this angry.

“Lighten up, Pine Tree, I was just making sure you were listening,” he said, before taking the lead. Dipper bore holes into the back of the blonde’s head with his eyes, wishing he had laser vision that could really tear through his skull. Since they weren’t in a public place like yesterday, Bill had no reason to hold back and act like an actual civilized person and chose to play jump rope with Dipper’s nerves.

Bill kept walking forward on the path, determined to finally get out of the woods, but Dipper heard a rustling behind him. He peeked over his shoulders and saw a raven pecking at something on the ground.

Dipper pulled his back pack out and realized that there was a tear and his unfinished trail mix had been falling out. Dipper arranged for one of the notebooks to cover the hole, so nothing else could fall out of it and made a mental note to ask Mabel to sew it for him when she returned.

Dipper looked back at the raven, which stopped pecking at the ground and made eye contact with him with two big, silver eyes. He noticed that this raven was actually twice the size of a normal bird and its feathers had an odd texture. He pulled out his phone and snapped a quick photo, wincing when it made a very audible click.

The raven opened its wings slowly, light illuminating through several perfect holes in its wings. A wave of dizziness hit Dipper like a bag of bricks. He was suddenly exhausted. _Did this trip really tire me out this much?_ He questioned when a sudden realization dawned on him. _The Raven!_

He stumbled towards the bird, but without any energy, his knees buckled under him and he barely caught himself before landing face first. He locked his elbows in place to reduce the risk of falling and mustered up enough strength to raise his head to stare at the raven now had its wings spread all the way with its chest puffed out to make itself look bigger and started to hiss at the brunet. The longer Dipper looked at the bird the more exhausted he felt, but he wasn’t ready to give up.

Dipper inched slowly towards the bird. If he could get a feather, or any sample from it really, he could possibly do a reversal spell. _I haven’t done magic since I was twelve, but that’s beside the point._

The bird backed up as it noticed Dipper’s slow crawl towards it and looked ready to take off into the sky. _No! If it leaves, then I won’t have another chance!_

Just as it raised its wings to flap, something moved in front of Dipper towards the bird with almost lightning speed. Bill had his fingers laced into the holes in the bird’s wings. Dipper’s eyes widened in panic and he wanted to yell, but he found he didn’t have the energy and it came out as a whisper, “B-bill! I need a sample to create a-“ his words were cut off as he realized what the blonde was doing.

 Bill’s fingertips and eyes flashed blue and suddenly blue flames erupted from his hands, burning the raven from the holes, to its wings, and eventually its entire body. It struggled and screeched from the pain until there was nothing left but ash, Bill’s yellow eyes, and manic grin.

“ _Bill_ ,” Dipper spoke as sternly as he could in his condition. His eyelids were getting heavy and he truly feared that Bill was really going to either leave him for dead or kill him himself, especially when those eyes and that psychotic smile turned towards him and whispered questioningly, “Hmm, I’ve always _wondered_. If a Pine Tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?”

Dippers elbows gave out on him and the world turned black. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bill is an ass and I love it. Hope you did too!


	7. Dreams and Disasters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mild gore in the beginning.

Dipper was having a pretty blissful dream. He and Mabel were fourteen again and resting on a hammock in their parents backyard. They were stargazing, but instead of looking for real constellations, they were making up their own. It was warmth. It was safety. At least it was, until the hammock and Mabel disappeared and Dipper fell hard on his back. When he sat up, he realized he was alone in the forest in Gravity Falls. He had no idea how he knew it was specifically Gravity Falls, but that’s what his gut was telling him.

He looked around, trying to gather his bearings when he heard a twig snap behind him. He turned his head slowly to see human Bill standing there, flames were engulfing his hands and he wore a devilish grin on his face. He was definitely way taller and faster than fourteen year old Dipper so when he tried to run, Bill had him by the forearm instantly and flames began to engulf his arm, the skin on it slowly singeing off, blisters and third degree burns slowly creeping down to his elbow and shoulder. Puss and blood started to ooze out.

“Pine Tree,” Bill sang, “Did you really think that this was over? That after all of that, I would just disappear? I’m hurt,” he said while feigning a look of pain. “So I’ll have to hurt you too.” He finished his sentence darkly as he grabbed Dipper’s other forearm and flames engulfed that one as well. His skin where he gripped him was melting away. Dipper thrashed hard, trying to get away from the madman, but to no avail. It was so fucking hot that he could barely breathe.

Dipper thought his entire body would end up turning to ash or that he would literally melt in Bills arms, when Bill suddenly pressed his forehead to his. “H-huh?” Dipper stuttered out, confused. The demon’s forehead was surprisingly cool and he leaned into it in a feeble attempt to sooth the rest of his burning body and to his surprise, it was working.

               

Dipper jolted awake, breathing heavily as the memory of his dream slipped from his fingers. Something wrapped in a wet towel landed on his lap and he picked it up. It was ice cold and he realized how pleasant it felt since the rest of his body was burning up. A sudden wave of dizziness hit him and he fell back to how he was laying.

Someone pulled the towel from his hands and placed it on his forehead, “Pine Tree, you have a pretty bad fever. Fez told me to make sure this stays on your forehead. So stay still,” Bill instructed. Dipper didn’t have the energy to sit back up anyway, but did take note that he was on the couch in the safety of the pool house.

Dipper spared a glance at Bill who looked normal now compared to the crazy eyed demon that stared at him in the forest, but now he was staring intently at him with his normal blue contacts, making Dipper feel uncomfortable. To try to keep himself from remembering those yellow eyes and manic grin, Dipper closed his eyes and covered them with his arm.

“What happened?” he asked, his voice feeling a little raw. He really wanted some water. He heard the sound of feet shuffling and the sound of a cushion so he assumed that Bill went to sit down in the chair.

“We ran into a Night Raven. Disgusting creatures that cause sickness to all who gazes through the holes in its wings, but don’t worry Pine Tree! I destroyed and used my power to negate its magic. You should be out and about again by tomorrow,” he stated a little too proudly.

“Really?” Dipper scoffed, peeking out from his arm. Last time he felt this bad he didn’t move for a week.

Bill grabbed Dipper’s phone from the coffee table and passed it to him, “See for yourself.” Dipper hesitantly took the phone and immediately checked his texts. There was one that was from Durland:

**Whatever you did worked! Even the coma patients are waking up!**

“They also left a couple voicemails, too,” Bill stated. Dipper glared at him disapprovingly, “You checked my messages?” Bill turned his way, clearly intending to not address the issue. Dipper checked the time on his phone and noticed that it was almost seven in the evening. He was out for almost the entire day. He shoved his phone in his pocket where it would be safe from Bill’s prying eyes.

An awkward silence lingered in the room for a moment. For once, Dipper was the one to break it.

“Hey.”

“Hm?”

“Get me some water.”

Bill looked like he wanted to reply with something snarky, but then a different emotion flashed across his face. He muttered something under his breath but got up to get him a bottle of water anyway. He dropped in on Dipper’s chest causing him to go into a coughing fit. “Thanks,” he muttered sarcastically. He unscrewed the top off and took a swig.

“I don’t remember how we got back here,” he mentioned before taking another gulp and setting the bottle down on the coffee table.

“Well, since _someone_ was stupid enough to look through the Night Ravens wings, I had to carry your heavy ass back to the truck,” Bill stated, his arms crossed with his nose in the air. Dipper eyed him warily. He was unconscious and Bill was the one who was with him. Once again the crossroads were in front of him. He could either be petty towards the demon in hopes that he would start leaving him alone, or he could take the high road be a little friendlier to him. Dipper mulled it over in his head and came to the conclusion that it wasn’t just his life he saved, but everyone that was affected by the Night Raven so maybe some credit where credit was due was in order. Even if Bill is a pain in the ass.

“Thanks,” Dipper mumbled out quietly, not really wanting to say it. Bill looked down at him and gave him what Dipper perceived to be a genuine smile before he sat back down in his chair and started shifting uncomfortably.

“By the way, kid, I want to ask about-“ Bill was cut off by the sound of the pool house door opening. Dipper tilted his head up to see his Grunkles Stan and Ford walking in, carrying bags of take out.

“Oh good, you’re awake,” Stan said, sounding cheerful. “We brought you some soup and crackers from the deli down the road.”

Dipper was eager to get some food in him since he hadn’t had anything to eat since breakfast this morning. “Thanks!” Dipper said while suppressing a cough. He sat up slowly and put the ice pack on the coffee table, moving carefully so he wouldn’t be overwhelmed with dizziness.

As the four of them ate together, Ford asked questions about the Night Raven they encountered and if they saw any other interesting things in the woods. Ford may have travelled abroad to study new mysteries, but his interest in Gravity Falls never died.  They all chatted for about an hour, before Dipper decided that he wanted to get a shower and get some more sleep. He was already feeling a little better, but he was still exhausted.

“Go ahead, kid. We’ll clean up down here,” Stan offered. “Your sister gets back tomorrow evening, right?”

Dipper nodded and immediately regretted it as it caused everything in the room to spin, “Yeah, she’ll be back here with Waddles sometime after eight.”

“Good. You gonna be alright? You looked pretty rough earlier.”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. I just need a good night’s rest. What are you doing tomorrow?”

“Stan and I have an appointment with our lawyer and accountant tomorrow. We’ve been out of the States for so long that we need to get some affairs in order,” Ford stated. “Ah, okay.” Dipper felt a little disappointed but it was probably for the best that they were busy so he wouldn’t be too distracted to finish unpacking the living room and kitchen before Mabel got back.

Stan patted Dipper on the back, “Chin up kid, we’ll go to Greasy’s tomorrow for a late night snack when Mabel gets home. Me and Ford have a couple things to talk about with you guys anyway.”

Dipper smiled, “Yeah sounds good.” He then stood up to go upstairs to his shower. “Good night,” he called back.

Dipper made the mistake of taking a hot shower. He thought it was a good idea at the time, but he was not prepared for the crashing dizziness that followed it. He managed to get his boxers and a t shirt on, but he felt as if were to let go of the bathroom wall he would collapse. He managed to slide his way to the door and he reveled in the cool air that hit him when he opened it. His knees buckled and he fell in the doorway, using his palms to hold him up.

Dipper stared at the carpeting in front of him. He was so very tempted to just lie down and sleep in the here. He wished Mabel was there to help him. She always took good care of him when he was sick and vice versa. His eyes started to cloud and he started to slouch down further and further until a pair of shoes entered his vision.

“Geez, you’re pathetic kid.” The voice was distant, but his mind was so fogged up right now that he couldn’t even think about how insulting that is. Dipper felt his arm being placed around someone’s shoulder and being held in place while another hand held onto his waist to hoist him up and help him walk to his bed.

Dipper laid on his back, his mind clouded even more as sleep started to take him. He felt the back of someone’s hand touch his forehead to check his fever. He really wished it was Mabel. He wished for it so hard that when he peeked through his eyelids, he saw her blurry silhouette leaning over him and he grabbed her hand that was still touching his forehead.

“Mabel,” he muttered out, gripping her hand tighter as he fell asleep.

\---------------------------------------------

Bill tried to yank his hand away from Dipper, but he had a death grip on it. “I’m not your sister, Pine Tree. Let go!” he said harshly as he finally released himself from Dipper’s grip. He took a step back and watched as the kid felt around for his hand again for a moment before rolling on his side to sleep, covering himself with the comforter he bought during their mall trip.

 Bill’s mortal body was feeling a little tired today after their escapade in the woods, not to mention he had to bring Pine Tree back in one piece or else the entire Pines clan would have been after his head. Bill had been curious on what had been going on in the woods as well and was relieved to find to find nothing much had changed with the exception of a few new creatures. Gravity Falls is still his domain until he leaves this dimension for good, after all.

Surprisingly enough he was sincere in his choice to leave this dimension, even though when he gets his form back there was nothing to stop him from going back on his word. He just decided that it was not his problem that this dimension was so uptight with their rules and restrictions that if they didn’t want to be liberated from the boring norm that plagued them, then it was their problem.

Bill huffed. Ten years. It’s been ten years since Bill has donned this meatsack and now he was babysitting a freaking twenty two year old who was too pathetic to be without his sister for a day or two.  Bill stared at the hand Pine Tree had a death grip on. He could still feel where he had touched him, strange warmth engulfing it. Human bodies were weird. Not quite as weird as _Bill’s_ version of weird but you get the point.

Bill left the kid alone and decided that he would just sleep in the guest room he knew they had. Fez and Sixer asked him to stay the night here anyway, so he already had his clothes and phone charger on the dresser. He changed into his pajama bottoms and a t-shirt. His body shivered, not used to the colder Oregon air. His last few years spent overseas was close to the equator so his body was adjusted to the warmth in the tropics.

He slid under the covers and began to think about everything that happened today. He got to kill something, which was always a plus. But he also couldn’t get Pine Tree to be more open with him like Shooting Star is. It would benefit him greatly if they revered him as a comrade. They were getting their lives together and would probably end up living a pretty good life and if they declared Bill worthy of friendship, he knew that the two would help him get by later in life when the two geezers finally pass away. Sure, he had a significant amount of treasure from their time overseas, but Bill’s share would only be enough to last him maybe ten years. He had to think long term. The job at the Mystery Shack was just means to an end so Bill could learn how human businesses function since his last business only included a verbal agreement and a handshake.

Shooting Star told him that she majored in business so she would have lots of helpful information for him. He knew that even though Shooting Star still didn’t trust him as far as she could throw him, but at least she was more open to the idea of comradery which made things significantly easier for Bill. But if he got too close to Shooting Star while Pine Tree was still wary of him, he would probably lash out at him, so the key to this whole thing was to get Pine Tree to accept his companionship first.

But Pine Tree was definitely making this task a pain for him. He had saved the kid’s life today, and even though he thanked him he still made no effort to include him in the conversation they had during dinner. Every piece of information he got from him was vague and he always to force him to cough it up. Yesterday, he tried tempting Pine Tree with knowledge on the types of creatures that create sickness, but the kid was too stubborn to ask. He quickly pondered if aggression would work on him. If he opened that door, Pine Tree could quit this just being polite bullshit and lash out back at him and let him know what was really going through that head of his and he can force him to deal with it.

Worst case scenario, he would just have to be patient. They are all stuck together after all, because of that deal he has with Sixer and Fez. At least _they_ were accepting of him now. But being stuck on a small boat together for ten years some type of trust was bound to form.

Even though Bill would rather slide down a tube full of razors and land in a pool alcohol than admit it, he was actually pretty fond of the old geezers. Sure, he had friends back in the mindscape, but he always had to negotiate and bargain with them if he wanted something. And even though it started out that way with the Stans, like they only gave him food and he worked on the boat because it was part of the deal, eventually they started doing other things for each other like pushing each other out of the way when poison darts or arrows were shot at them, hanging out together in bars, and Sixer eventually bought a few books for him on biology of the human body that were extremely helpful and answered any questions he had without asking anything in return. Bill appreciated the simple give and take of (ugh, dare he admit it?) _friendship_ he had with the geezers.

He wanted something similar with the Mystery Twins as well. Something about hanging out with them was appealing for some reason. That strange warmth always surrounded them. It felt unnatural.

If he _really_ wanted to take the short route to a comfortable life, he could always charm that Northwest girl or some other person who was already rolling in wealth, but this felt more (ugh, another thing he didn’t want to admit) _right_. And Bill always trusted his instincts as a human.

He may not be able to be omnipresent for the time being, but Bill has always known that human bodies knew what’s best for you. The body can sense things before the mind can register it, and with properly trained senses you can pick up what it’s telling you quickly.

Bill closed his eyes, too tired to think about these things anymore. He had almost drifted off when he heard an extremely loud _thump_ come from down the hall. His eyes shot open and he quickly got out of bed. _Pine Tree, you are really trying my patience,_ he thought to himself as he stormed down the hallway to check on him.

Bill stopped himself from slamming the door open in his annoyance but instead, quietly turned the handle and gently slung the door open. Bill’s eyes widened in surprise for a brief moment and then he immediately narrowed them when he saw a hooded figure, leaning over the bed with a snoring Pine Tree in it. Bill noticed it was anointing a dagger and chanting some sort of ritualistic spell. Its face was covered but he noticed that it had extremely wrinkled tan hands.

“Could you not? They are going to blame me if you do that,” Bill asked bluntly while leaning forward, ready to pounce at the figure from the doorway.

The figure’s head snapped up to him and he noticed it was wearing a black mask with dark hollowed out eyes, and a beak decorated with intricate carvings. Bill put two and two together and figured out that it was a witch. She probably controlled the Night Raven the make people sick so she could have a feast. _What were they called again? Raven Stalkers? No, that’s not right._ The name was on the tip of his tongue.

“I must do this. He is the last one who is affected by my magic,” a female voice hissed out at him. Bill gave her a bored look and said, “Like I give a fuck about you and your plans, the Pines family is under MY protection.” Bill’s eyes flashing red and his voice went deeper at the word, “my.”

This figure didn’t flinch away from him but she did comply and put the dagger away, “Well, well. A demon in human form, how rare,” the voice mused as it headed to the window. Her mask turned between him and Pine Tree, tilting thoughtfully.

“I _will_ be back,” she said in a way that would be ominous to a normal person. Send chills down their spine and everything. But not to Bill Cipher. She tossed herself out of the window and Bill casually strode up to it and closed it, flipping the lock in place. _Damn, and I thought I could mutilate two things today._

Bill looked over at Pine Tree to see how he was faring. He checked his temperature again to make sure his fever didn’t spike because of the witch. It didn’t, thankfully. He looked around the room for a moment and grabbed the old comforter that was folded on top of the desk. He pinched the bridge of his nose. He couldn’t believe he was going to do this, but Sixer and Fez would indeed murder him if he didn’t keep the kid safe from the witch.

He pushed Pine Tree’s shoulder. “Kid, scoot over.” He mumbled something that wasn’t even English but rolled closer to the wall anyway. Bill put his head down on the pillow Pine Tree was using before he rolled over to the next one. The spot Pine Tree took up before was pleasantly warm. _That_ strange _warmth_ , was the last thought Bill had as he covered himself with the comforter he brought to bed, giving one more glance to the window before finally letting sleep take him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And finally we got some of Bill's point of view! Huzzah!


	8. Real Emotion

Dipper felt warm. Really warm. He realized that he was squished between the wall and another body. In his grogginess, he first thought of Shae and wanted to turn around to properly spoon, but then his brain started to actually turn on. He quietly wondered if Mabel got back early, but realized that was physically impossible because she would have told him if she planned to pull an all-nighter to driver back. _Actually, she might not have because I would have tried to talk her out of it._

“Mabel?” he grumbled before turning around to see whose back was pressed up against his. He felt his blood run cold when a blob of choppy blonde hair greeted his vision. “Bill,” he said, slowly, “What the hell are you doing in my bed?” Dipper watched Bill let out a sigh without turning to face him, “Just, five more minutes, Pine Tree. Then I’ll tell you how I saved your life a second time last night.”

That definitely had Dipper’s attention so he sat upright, feeling thankful when he realized that they weren’t sharing covers at least. “No, I’m going to need you to explain that, like right now,” he said, the sleepiness completely left his voice now. Bill turned to his other side so he could face him, but refused to actually sit up. Dipper noticed the bags under his eyes, and looked at the clock on his night stand. It was almost six in the morning.

“A witch came through your window last night. She’s a Raven Mocker, said she’d be back so I stayed in here last night,” Bill said, giving just the basic facts, while suppressing a yawn. Dipper looked over at his window and back at Bill.

“A Raven Mocker?” Dipper asked, feeling thoroughly annoyed.

 “Raven Mockers steal the life of people who are dying to keep their immortality. She must have used a binding spell on the Night Raven and planned to set up a feast for herself.” Bill sat up on his elbows now. “You’re no longer sick, so you’re safe. And I did a fine job of scaring her off on my own, so there was no need to wake you.”

“Whatever, man. Just go away,” Dipper mumbled, nudging Bill to move so he could get out of bed as well. Instead, Bill sat up and grabbed one of Dipper’s shoulders and slammed it back against the wall. “This attitude isn’t working for me, Pine Tree. I’ve been nothing but courteous to you and your sister since we’ve been here. I even saved your life twice without asking for anything in return, which as you know completely goes against my nature. Now tell me what the hell your problem is,” he spat, his eyes glaring up at Dipper.

Dipper tried to shake him off but he could feel Bill’s grip tighten to keep him in place. “YOU! You’re my problem! How do you expect me to trust anything you say? You expected me to just let bygones be bygones? Well it’s not happening. No matter what you do, it will never,” Dipper took a quick breath to keep his voice from cracking, “You will never be able to make up what you did to my family, this town and what you tried to do to this world. I trust Grunkle Stan and Ford. I’m willing to accept that you’re going to be in my life for a while. Hell, I actually believe that you’re not going to kill me and my family while we sleep, but I am not here to be your friend. If what you say about the witch is true, then thanks, but don’t expect anything other than that.”

Bill’s grip loosened on him and he scowled, then smirked, and scowled again. “Pine Tree, what you’re saying is the truth, but not the answer to my question. You wouldn’t casually crack a joke about that time I possessed you if you weren’t over it. I’m not your current problem. Now what is your deal?”

Dipper looked away from him. Bill was right, he was over what happened all those years ago and he takes a lot, and I mean _a lot_ of comfort in the fact that Bill is more vulnerable as a human. But he was also right about that not being his real problem.

Dipper covered his face with his hands, “I hate you, you know that?”

“I had a feeling,” Dipper could hear Bill’s smirk in his voice.

“You just. Ugh, how do I put it? You just wormed your way into our lives. _You_ got to travel the world with my Grunkles. _You_ got to see the world with them and now suddenly you’re in Mabel and mine’s and even she’s friendly towards you and you don’t deserve any of it.”

“Ah,” Bill’s grip loosened and Dipper felt the weight shift on the bed. “You’re jealous,” he said, sounding like he was trying to keep a laugh down.

Dipper put his hands down to see Bill sitting on the edge of the bed, but still turned towards him, his mouth twitching upward. _Yeah, he is definitely holding back a laugh_.

Dipper tried not to let his face turn red as he denied it, “No, that’s not it. I-“ Bill held up his hand to silence him, “Kid, I can’t blame you for being jealous. I mean, I’m the most perfect thing that has ever existed but that’s beside the point.”

Dipper’s eye twitch and he kicked Bill off of the bed, feeling satisfied when he let out a surprised yelp when he hit the floor. “Perfect, my ass. You’re just a narcissistic asshole who thinks he’s the best thing since sliced bread.”

“I’m the one who gave humans the idea of sliced bread, so I’m actually better,” Bill said while getting to his feet.

Dipper stood up too and headed to the dresser “Now that is the complete opposite of true and you know it.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I actually helped man figure out fire and they figured out the rest for themselves but because of that, I reserve the right to take credit for all of mankind’s accomplishments.” 

Dipper grabbed a pair of jeans and slid them over his boxers. “Whatever helps you sleep at night I guess,” he muttered and slipped off his shirt and dug around for a clean one.

“Pine Tree, what happened to your back?”

“Huh? Oh, car wreck a couple years ago,” he said absentmindedly. He had actually forgotten about the scar he retained when he flew out of a windshield. “Was Shooting Star in that accident as well?” Bill asked, taking a few silent steps towards him. “No, it happened with a couple of buddies of mine during a camping trip. I was the only one who went flying though. My back ended up skidding on the pavement.”  

Right when he found the graphic t-shirt he wanted to wear, he felt a hand run over the scar on his back and heat immediately found its way into his cheeks, “Can I help you?” he asked, his voice inadvertently hitting a higher octave than he was proud of. During his brief time with Shae, she had discovered that the scar was a pretty sensitive area for him when they first started dating and took advantage of that.

“Not really, it’s just an interesting pattern.” Bill blankly stated. _Oh god, he’s starting to trace it._

He pulled away from Bill’s hand and pulled on his shirt as fast as he could. “It’s just healed skin. Go make us some coffee or something. I’m going to brush my teeth and then I’ll make us breakfast,” Dipper said quickly, trying to get the blonde demon that was plaguing him to leave him alone for a moment so he could calm himself down.

“Sounds counterintuitive to brush your teeth and then drink coffee, but whatever floats your boat, Pine Tree.” Bill shrugged and left the room. Dipper finally turned around when he heard the door click behind him.

He went to brush his teeth and changed his train of thought to more important things, like how he still needed to dig around in boxes of clothes that were sitting in his closet for Shae’s dress or about the witch that apparently almost killed him last night. Yeah, the latter was definitely more important. If there was something out there that wanted to murder anyone with a cold, they had to be stopped.

Bill seemed to be knowledgeable about the situation, but it made his stomach turn when he thought about consulting him. But Dipper wasn’t really inclined to believe Bill about the witch either. Bill could have made it up to try to integrate himself deeper into his family.

 Dipper exited the bathroom and grabbed his glasses from the dresser, not really feeling up to dealing with contacts today. He saw the receipt with a phone number that Mabel had given him yesterday next to where his glasses had been. Maybe he _should try_ dating. He had to do something to get his mind off of all the crap he’s going through. He’s barely been here for three days and he’s already on the verge of a breakdown. But in all honesty, he was still pretty down about his breakup.

Dipper didn’t want to admit it to Mabel, but he was pretty heartbroken that they couldn’t make things work. And those moments this morning when he thought he woke up next to Shae and Bill tracing his back like how she used to was definitely not helping the situation. Dipper buried his face in his hands as he replayed this morning in his head, blood rushing to his face. He rationalized that he was thinking of Shae’s hands instead of Bill’s when he traced the scar and that was why he got flustered. 

He picked up Carla’s number and saved it into his phone. It wouldn’t hurt to at least talk to her. He sent her an awkward text introducing himself and let her know that her nosy sister is the one that gave him her number.

**Carla: I’m glad you texted! You’re sister told me a lot about you!**

**Dipper: Well, she does know pretty much everything about me. She is my twin after all. As long as she didn’t tell you anything mortifying, I’m willing to chat with you instead of crawling under a rock for the rest of eternity.**

**Carla: Nope, she told me that if I was persistent, you’d tell me all your embarrassing secrets yourself. ;)**

Dipper let out a small chuckle, relieved that this wasn’t as awkward as he thought it would be. Even more relieved that she didn’t send a million emoji’s with every text. She was a fast replier too, so that meant that she was into the conversation. _Today might actually be a good day._

Content with his distraction he set up for himself, he grabbed his wallet and headed downstairs.

\----------------------------------------

Bill was dressed and waiting for Pine Tree to come downstairs. His reaction to him touching that scar was really weird, but it looked interesting. It looked like his skin was ripped off and it was intriguing to look at. And it looked like it hurt. A lot. Maybe it still did and that’s probably why he told Bill to get lost. The scar was on his lower back which was probably a sensitive area. Bill smirked mischievously and wondered what other scars the kid was hiding. Bill missed out on all the trauma the kid had to face growing up, so he was curious.

Bill heard footsteps coming down the stairs. “It’s about time, Pine Tree. I thought you almost died a third time while my back was turned,” Bill teased, while the kid brushed past him not even looking up from his phone. “Sure thing,” Pine Tree replied, clearly not paying attention to him.

Bill frowned as he watched him set his phone down for a minute to pour a cup of coffee for himself and sipped on it without adding any cream or sugar.

Pine Tree’s phone started buzzing again. He picked it up again and started tapping on it while sipping his coffee.

“What’s so interesting, Pine Tree?”

The kid looked up at him for a moment, “Huh, oh nothing really. Hey, how do you feel about pancakes for breakfast? Betcha I can make them better than Grunkle Stan,” he said quickly, clearly trying to change the subject. But if Pine Tree was offering him food, he wasn’t going to object. “Sure, just leave out the poison, okay?” Bill stated flatly before sitting down at the breakfast bar. Pine Tree shoved his phone in his pocket and got cooking.

Bill wanted to snoop through his phone again to see what was going on, being the naturally curious creature that he is. Yesterday he went through Pine Tree’s photos. There were a few of supernatural things outside of Gravity Falls, some of  him and Shooting Star, and a couple of him and a girl with skin like chocolate and very colorful braids tied into a ponytail who he assumed was Shae. She looked pretty wild and artsy, like Shooting Star. He would have never thought that Pine Tree would go for someone like that. The kid had been betraying every expectation Bill had in his head since he got here. It didn’t sit right with him.

The smell of pancakes filled the room and Bill could feel that familiar hunger pang he had grown accustomed to in his stomach. “Pancakes are almost done. Microwave some syrup, would you?” Pine Tree asked while flipping another pancake in the air. Bill complied, grabbing opening a couple of cabinets (most of them were still empty) until he found a bowl and the syrup. He dumped half the bottle into the bowl, covered it with a paper towel, and placed it in the microwave.

When it beeped, he grabbed the bowl by the paper towel (he learned this trick at a café after he practically threw a hot plate across the room in France) and set the syrup at the breakfast bar and took his seat again. As soon as he sat down, Pine Tree had placed a stack of pancakes in front of him and took a seat on the stool next to him.

Bill eagerly covered his pancakes with half the bowl of syrup and dug in. Bill’s eyes widened in surprise when he took his first bite, “Pine Tree, you’ve been holding out on me, I didn’t know you actually had a talent for something other than getting a sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong.”

He heard the kid laugh so he turned his head to see him, but instead of laughing at Bill’s comment, he was laughing at something on his phone. Bill was officially annoyed. Pine Tree should be grateful that he’s even giving him the time of day and he’s not even listening.

The demon was persistent though, he kept trying to make conversation with the kid throughout breakfast, but the only responses he got where just “Mhm” and “Okay” and Bill was sick of it.

“Who are you texting?” Bill asked, in a demanding voice. “Is it Shooting Star?” he thoughtfully added. She was someone acceptable enough in Pine Tree’s life to take precedence over him.

“No, it’s no one,” Pine Tree replied without looking up. Bill snatched his phone away from his hands and looked at the screen, holding it just out of Pine Tree’s reach.

**Carla: Wow, a multi bear? What does that even look like?**

**Dipper: If you ever feel like a hike, I can show you.**

**Carla: No way man, that sounds scary. I think I’ll just stay indoors, thanks. Lol**

Bill scowled, remembering that this was the girl that Shooting Star talked about a couple days ago. “What the hell is your problem, Bill?”

“My problem is that I’ve been trying to talk to and you’re not even acknowledging me,” Bill spat, giving the phone back.

“Oh, no. You’re not the center of attention right now. I’m _so_ sorry,” Pine Tree’s voice dripped with sarcasm as he shoved his phone in his pocket before taking both of their plates and practically tossed them into the sink.

“That’s the thing, Pine Tree; I’m so brilliant that I can’t help but to be the center of attention. You’re the one that’s missing out,” Bill said with a wink. “I mean think about it, all the questions you have about the universe, I could answer! Right here, right now.”

Pine Tree looked like he was seriously contemplating the offer with a noticeable wince, but then muttered out, “Pass. I got other things to do.”

The color drained from Bill’s face. Even Sixer had wanted to know some things. _There is something wrong with this kid._

**\----------------------------**

Mabel was running on Mabel Time of course, so by the time she arrived back in Gravity Falls, it was well past midnight. She was, however, pleasantly surprised to see that Dipper, her Grunkles, and Bill had all stayed up late to take a late night trip to Greasy’s with her. She made sure that Waddles was safe in his pen that she had set up for him in the grassy area beside the pool house before heading out.

Grunkle Ford and Stan were in the front seats, while she sat between Bill and Dipper in the back seat. Dipper had his nose in his phone and she could have sworn she saw Bill pouting. Decided that her brother comes first, she leaned her head on his shoulder to see what he was doing. He was texting Carla goodnight!

She bounced from excitement and then elbowed Dipper (a little too hard) in the side, “Oh my goodness! I’m so proud of you bro-bro!”

“We’re just texting Mabel, nothing serious,” Dipper stated, rubbing his side before putting his phone away. “That’s how the best relationships start out, Dipping Dots!”

“What, Dipper’s got a girlfriend already?” Stan asked, looking in the rearview mirror.

“No, no. We just started talking today,” Dipper stated, obviously blushing.

“They sure did,” Bill said through grit teeth.

“And what’s your problem, grumpy pants?” Mabel asked, turning to Bill and poking him playfully.

“Nothing’s the problem, I’m perfect after all,” Bill stated, refusing to look at her.

Mabel didn’t believe him one bit, but didn’t pressure him to talk. She turned back to her brother, “By the way, I got your text about the sickness thing being solved, but what happened exactly?”

The drive to Greasy’s was thirty minutes from the Northwest Mansion, so Dipper used that time to recount what had happened. Halfway through the story, Mabel turned back to Bill and practically shouted, “You saved Dipper and reversed everyone’s sickness?” Bill smiled slightly, but didn’t say anything. He was clearly still sulking. Mabel punched him lightly on the arm. “Bill, you old softie!” she teased.

Bill straightened up a little bit, a smirk started form on his lips. “Well, if you’re brother wasn’t a magnet for trouble we would have never found the Night Raven in broad daylight,” Bill said, sounding more like his normal self. “But there’s a lot more to the story actually. I actually needed to tell Fez and Sixer this as well.”

Bill recounted how he saw the witch in Dipper’s room and how he scared her off. Bill assured them that she’s harmless since he killed her pet and she would have to go overseas to find another one. It would be while _if_ she decided to come back. Bill assured that she probably wouldn’t since he still has a claim over Gravity Falls.

When they got to Greasy’s, it was Stan and Ford’s turn to share some news. Ford got a call from his friend in the publishing house that Dipper sent his novel to and he was going to be published within the next three months and that he should be expecting a call sometime next week about it.

Mabel squeezed her brother in a tight side hug in the booth. “That’s so great, bro! You’re getting published!”

Dipper smiled wide, “I couldn’t have done it without Grunkle Ford.”

“Oh, you would have done it all on your own eventually,” his Grunkle replied kindly.

 Stan cleared his throat, “You know, we’ve got some good news for you too, Sweetie.”

Mabel’s eyes sparkled, whatever it was she was excited.

“Poindexter and I are going to take some of our wealth and invest in your business,” Stan said proudly while throwing an arm over his brother.

Mabel thought her heart stopped. “Are you forreal?” she asked, her mouth hanging open from shock.

They both gave her a quick nod and Mable practically jumped across the table to hug them both, Bill ducking to the side to avoid contact, “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, you have no idea how much this means to me! Thank you! Thank you!”

“Mabel, you’re about to spill our drinks,” Dipper said, while moving things out of her way. Her boobs had ruined the rest of the appetizer plate that was in the center.

“Eh heh, sorry?” she said as she sat back down on their side of the table.

Mabel didn’t fail to notice that Bill remained quiet during their midnight breakfast for dinner and the entire drive home.

By the time they got back home from Greasy’s Mabel was definitely ready to pass out. She laid out on the couch dramatically and Dipper sat next her for a minute, too tired to trek up the stairs.

“Hey, bro?”

“Yeah, Mabes?”

“When Bill saved you, you did properly thank him, right?” Mabel peeked from under her eyelids to see her brother’s reaction.

“Of course I said thanks,” Dipper replied, rubbing the back of his head. Mabel sat up and stared at him, “But you did thank him properly? Like look him in the eyes and let him know you meant it?”

“Where is this coming from? He’s a demon, remember? If he didn’t save me, Stan and Ford would’t have let him live. He did it for his own best interests,” Dipper argued.

“Quit changing the subject Dip Dop. He still did something nice so be the bigger person and let him know you appreciate his actions. Maybe actually pay attention to him? He’s been trying hard, I can tell. Wouldn’t it be best to encourage him to keep going in this direction?” Mabel stated in her, “this is the final word” voice.

Dipper let out a loud sigh, “You’re right, Mabel. I’ll talk to him tomorrow.”

“Great!” She booped him on the nose before getting up to go to bed. “Night, Dipping Dots!”

“Night Mabes,” he called back, dragging himself off of the couch as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the way, I just wanna say thanks to the commentors and to the people leaving Kudos! :D This is actually my first fanfiction and it took a lot of courage for me to finally start posting it so it makes me very happy to see that people are enjoying it! You guys are the best!


	9. There's a Class For This

Bill was freezing. He curled up into his blankets like a cocoon, in a feeble attempt to be warm like he was last night, but that was definitely not happening. Sunlight was pouring through the window and Bill decided that it was probably warmer out there so he might as well get up.

He did all the annoying things humans had to do in the mornings and got dressed. He wore black slacks and a forest green button up. He really wanted to wear gold or at least yellow, but Sixer advised him against it because he didn’t want the people of Gravity Falls to even have an ounce of suspicion towards his real identity.

Bill took a deep breath when he stepped outside, relishing in the warmth he felt from the sun on his skin, but it wasn’t enough to warm him up in the manner that he was accustomed to.

The old geezers were gone again today, so that left Bill to his own devices. He wasn’t sure if he even wanted to deal with Pine Tree today. Perhaps Shooting Star would be willing to hang out with him? Or maybe he could try and meet some new people in town. But he didn’t have a car so he’d have to call a cab and that would be a pain.

When he looked in the direction of the pool house, he noticed Pine Tree heading his way.

“If you’re looking for the old guys, they already left for the day.”

Pine Tree rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, darting his eyes in every direction but his. _Great, this again,_ Bill thought while suppressing an eye roll.

“Actually, I came over here to talk to you.” His words actually surprised Bill.

“What? Finally ready to ask me your questions about the universe? Well that ship has sailed, kid. Too late now,” Bill huffed out, crossing his arms.

“No, I don’t care about that. I just wanted to apologize for ignoring you yesterday and,” Pine Tree’s eyes finally met Bill’s when he spoke again, “Thank you. For real, thank you for saving me the other day.”

Bill was finally feeling warmth. That strange, completely unnatural warmth.

 The dream demon gave him a cocky grin, “No, problem kid. I owe a lot to those old geezers so I’ll save your sorry ass as many times as necessary.”

Pine Tree gave him a real smile for the first time since he’s been back and that made Bill’s body go from just feeling warm to a little overheated. Could magical colds be contagious? No. The obvious answer was no.  

“Do you want to come over? Mabel is cooking breakfast and then we’re going over to the Mystery Shack to have a small baby shower for Soos and Melody,” Pine Tree offered, while pointing at the pool house.

Bill wasn’t stupid. He knew that Shooting Star probably made him come over to do that, but Bill was a master at exploitation and was determined to make this work in his favor.

Bill let out a too loud laugh and smacked Pine Tree on the shoulder. “I’d love to, Pine Tree!” 

The kid almost stumbled, but caught his balance in time and rubbed where Bill had hit him. They walked to the pool house together, Bill making sure to keep a perfect pace, close to Pine Tree.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------

                Mabel brought like twenty gifts from Piedmont for Soos and Melody, so Dipper was feeling thankful that he didn’t have the pressure of doing anything except wrapping presents (which he already took care of) and picking up the cake. He dropped Mabel off at the Mystery Shack first so she could set up decorations and Bill insisted on riding with him to get the cake.

The atmosphere was different, and even though Dipper clearly only offered an inch, Bill was definitely intent on taking a mile. He would _not_ let the conversation pause for even a minute.

Dipper spared glances at Bill, who was talking excitedly about a creature they encountered off the shores of Japan and commenting on how all the supernatural creatures in the Far East looked really funny. Dipper wanted to remain cautious of Bill, but he also didn’t want to antagonize him in any way. He was doing this for Mabel. She took the time to reiterate this morning that she wanted Dipper to be nice. So that is what this is. Being nice.

Dipper kept the demon happy by engaging back and forth with him, making his own observations about the story. Bill even added in, “It’s good to see you didn’t grow up to be stupid, Pine Tree. You actually had me worried there for a while.” That comment made Dipper chuckle, he didn’t have anything to prove but at least Bill seemed legitimately happy now that he was humoring him.

When they had the cake that Mabel had ordered before she left for Piedmont, Bill commented on how excited he was to try it for the first time. Dipper learned that he and the Stans mainly survived off of dried foods and fish and they would occasionally treat themselves to something nice when the docked. Dipper nodded, “Just make sure to let Melody have the first slice, since, you know, she’s the one growing another human inside of her.”

“Yeah, yeah, Pine Tree,” Bill beamed.

The Mystery Shack itself was just as Dipper remembered it, although in the living area of it had more of Soos and Melody’s personality. There were colorful pictures and anime posters hanging on the walls and the furniture looked new too.

The party consisted of just the five of them. Mabel considered having a huge shindig, but she remembered how tired Melody was at their party and didn’t want to overwhelm her.

Dipper and Mabel had to make sure they referred to Bill as William around them though and Bill seemed to have no trouble switching from using nicknames to normal names. Dipper felt a pang of guilt every time he called Bill, William, though. He was opposed to lying to Soos and Melody but he didn’t want them to worry about anything while they are expecting.

They played games, like guess the baby food flavor and timed diaper changes. Bill loved the cake and ate least three slices of it, and while he was distracted, Dipper made sure to send a text to Carla to make sure she knew that he wasn’t blowing her off. She had already sent him three texts today.

When Dipper looked up from his phone he saw that Bill’s face was covered in bright green icing and was caught completely off-guard by the scene. Dipper rolled on his side laughing while Mabel passed Bill a towel to wipe it off and Bill looked pleased with himself.

About an hour and a half into the party, Melody was looking worn out.

“Hey, why don’t you go lay down and we’ll take care of the cleanup,” Soos insisted. Melody gave a curt nod and turned to them, “Thank you so much for the party. I’m sorry that it has to be cut short.”

Mabel beamed at Melody, “No worries! Today was all about you, girl! If you need rest, then rest! We got this.”

Melody gave her a grateful smile before heading carefully up the stairs. Dipper looked at Soos, “After we clean up, we should probably go over the back stories for the attractions along with the paperwork and bills we’ll have to pay while you’re gone.”

“Right, dude. Again, you have no idea how much you are helping us out right now,” Soos said gratefully. “I know you’d do the same for us,” Dipper said with a smile. Dipper couldn’t help but to feel relaxed with his two best friends with him and it was in that moment that he realized how tense he had been the past few days.

They went over all the paperwork and Soos said he had already called the bank to let them know that they would be making deposits and withdrawals in their stead. Soos went over the inventory reports and order sheets with Dipper and Bill while explaining his system. Soos even had twenty pages of information on the attractions printed out for them to look over.

“And since you’re doing us a solid, if you guys want to go out and do something fun, feel free to close up for a few days. Also I know the Mansion is a good forty five minutes from this place so I took the liberty of preparing a couple of guest rooms for you guys to crash here,” Soos announced.

 “Thanks, it’ll be nice to have the option to not drive back and forth,” Dipper said while glancing over order forms. 

After sorting out all the information they would need to successfully run a business (thank goodness that Mabel majored in that), Soos walked them through the Mystery Museum pointing out all the new attractions as they proceeded to the gift shop.

There were new knick knacks on the shelves, though the theme was the same. There were still the same shirts with question marks on them, snow globes, hats, and puma/panther shirts. Mabel was admiring some of the new tchotchkes while Dipper browsed through the t-shirts.

Dipper felt someone tap on his shoulder and when he turned around he felt a hat being placed on his head. Dipper looked up at Bill, “What are you-“

“You look better like that, kid,” was all Bill said before walking over to Soos. “How much for the hat?” he asked, pointing back to Dipper. “Since you’re new here, I’ll let you keep it for free,” Soos said, smiling at Dipper. Dipper looked at the mirror on the sunglass shelf and realized that Bill had put one of the blue and white pine tree hats on his head.

Dipper frowned. This wasn’t who he was anymore. He wasn’t that paranoid kid from ten summers ago; he grew up and figured out how to do life properly.

 He turned to look at his best friends and (former?) enemy. Mabel and Soos were giving him thumbs up, and Bill was smiling so wide that it looked like his face might split in half. Dipper tried not to grind his teeth as he made the decision to humor all of them.

Dipper gave them a weak smile in return, and adjusted the hat over his bangs before saying, “We should probably get going. Mabel and I have to return that U-Haul today or they’ll charge us an arm and a leg.”

Mabel practically ran to the door, “Crap, I forgot about that bro-bro! Bye Soos, tell Melody we said bye! We’ll meet you tomorrow at the airport to send you off!” Bill quickly followed Mabel out the door and Dipper shouted a goodbye before following them.

Mabel drove like a crazy person to the U-Haul place. Dipper forgot that the one in Gravity Falls closed earlier than the one in Piedmont. He clung to his seat and Bill laughed at every sharp turn and despite Dipper’s protests to Mabel’s alleged “shortcuts” that were just some very illegal turns, she still managed to get a, “See, I knew what I was doing!” out when they got there five minutes before closing. Dipper wondered if other people’s siblings were this crazy.

After that little escapade, Dipper insisted that he was the one to drive back. When the three of them got back in the car Dipper asked Mabel, “So what do you want for dinner, Mabes?”

“We have some beef thawed out, right? How about spaghetti and meatballs? Ooh! Or meatloaf! Or how about crazy Cajun burgers?” Mabel asked, excitedly. “Hmm, well I’ve had burgers twice this week already,” Dipper complained.

 “Okay, then. Bill! Meatloaf or spaghetti?” Mabel asked.

“Hmm, well I guess I’d like to try Pine Tree’s spaghetti. Who knew he could actually cook?” Bill teased.

“I know right? After high school, I had to force him to learn how to cook so he wouldn’t starve! Can you believe that literally the only thing he used to know how to make was toast? One time during our freshman year, I was sick and asked for soup and he literally brought me back a piece of toast and said, ‘I tried!’ It was totes adorable,” Mabel gushed and she continued gushing out embarrassing stories about him while Bill laughed.

Dipper was mildly annoyed that Bill would be sticking around all day again today, but Mabel was dead set on including him. Dipper couldn’t help but feel a little trapped. Mabel was dead set on including Bill and Bill was set on worming his way into their lives. Dipper exhaled a small sigh and kept his eyes on the road as they talked.

 

Later in the evening, the three of them were winding down to watch TV in the living room. Bill was distracted by the game show Mabel had picked out. It had a lot of trivia in it and Bill was spouting out answers to the questions before any of the contestants could hit their buzzers.

Dipper felt like Bill was thoroughly distracted enough and started texting Carla again, who was sorely disappointed in his lack of responses today and demanded a phone call to make up for lost time. Who was he to argue?

“Hey, I think I’m going to hit the hay early tonight guys.” Dipper stood up and stretched. “Okie dokie, brosky,” Mabel said without looking away from the TV. “Night, Pine Tree,” Bill said right before shouting another trivia question answer.

Dipper retreated to his room, threw his cap on the floor and plopped down on his bed. He looked up Carla’s number in his contact list and hit the call button.

She immediately picked up after one ring, “Hey Dipper!” Dipper smiled into the phone, “Hey, back at you.”

“So, you went to a baby shower today, huh? How was it?”

“It was pretty fun. It was a small thing, but afterwards we learned everything we needed to know about running the Shack,” Dipper said. He had texted Carla all about the Mystery Shack yesterday and about the adventures he and Mabel had when they were younger and about how they’ll be in charge of the Shack for the next three months.

“Oh, so I guess you wouldn’t have enough time to consider going on a date?” she asked, her voice sounding like honey.

“O-oh, um well, we have to get settled into running the Shack this week, but how about we do something Saturday night?”

“That sounds perfect. What do you have in mind?”

“Well, it’s been a long time since I’ve been back to Gravity Falls, so I forgot what there is to do around here. Maybe we could go classic and go for dinner and a movie?”

“Snorsville, Dipper. How about we go modern and I’ll take you out for a night on the town? I could pick you up from the Shack?”

Dipper chuckled, “Yeah, that sounds good. It’s a date. I guess technically a blind date since _I_ have no idea what _you_ look like.” Carla laughed at the joke and promised to send him a picture later.

They talked for a good hour before they finally hung up. Dipper sighed, contentedly. Then he remembered, he had a dress to find. Carla might get the wrong idea if she found Shae’s dress in here. Not that he was expecting the date to go _that_ well, but it was always better safe than sorry. He got out of bed and started digging around in his closet.

“Aha,” he said when he finally found what he was looking for, a short yellow dress with pink flowers. He took a quick Snapchat of it and sent it to Shae to make sure it was hers and not Mabel’s, asking if this was the right one. He immediately received a Snapchat back with her giving him a thumbs up.

He emptied out a box from the closet and folded the dress carefully before placing it inside. He would drop this off at the post office tomorrow before going to the airport. He took a quick shower before bed and settled into some fresh clothing.

As he plopped down on the bed, he let out one last deep breath. Things were going great for him and it’s only been three days and other than the near death experience(s?), Dipper felt relieved that the decision to come back to Gravity Falls was a good one. He almost, _almost_ didn’t do it in fear of falling into his old obsessive and paranoid habits from when he was younger but he hasn’t felt compelled to do any mystery hunting other than what was asked him by the sheriff.

Dipper could rest easily for the first time since he’s been back.

 

\----------------------------------

Dipper felt happy and disappointed at the same time when he waved goodbye to Melody and Soos from the gates. On one hand, he and Mabel get free reign of the Shack for three months, on the other hand, his childhood best friend wasn’t going to be there. Dipper also realized that when they get back from Portland, they won’t have a lot of time to spare because of the baby, so he was feeling pretty bummed out. But he was happy for Soos, he always talked about how he was going to be a better father to his kid than his dad ever was and now he has his chance.

When Dipper didn’t move for a while, Bill placed a hand on his shoulder and started walking him back to the car, Mabel taking bouncy steps next to them. “So, Mabes, I know we just moved into the pool house, but do you think we run some of our clothes to the Shack so we can just stay there like the good old days?”

“I’m not going to stay there as often as you, Dipper. I’m getting a pretty decent profit from my online store, so I think I’m going to buy my own car soon. I have my workshop set up at the pool house so I’ll need to commute if I’m going to be doing both. Plus I have Waddles to take care of. I have a lot of work to do if I’m going to be running my own business by next year.”

“Oh,” Dipper said, sounding a little disappointed. “Well, if you have to commute, then I’ll commute too.”

“Bro-bro, if you _wanna_ stay at the Shack, just stay at the Shack! I’ll be fine,” she smiled her patented 1000 watt smile.

 “Fine, but I demand that you work half days so you don’t wear yourself out.”

“It’s a deal, Dipping Dots.”

He could have sworn he felt Bill’s hand twitch on his shoulder when she said that and Dipper decided it would probably be best not to use that particular phrase around him again.

\----------------------------------------------

                Mabel was indeed happy with how the first day of running the Shack went. The tourist trap was so swamped with customers once the townsfolk got wind that they Mystery Twins would be running the Mystery Shack. She took several photos of the booming business to show Grunkle Stan later.

Since Bill had the best memory and the most charisma, he was in charge of tours. The Mr. Mystery suit she tailored for him fit like a glove. She even added some yellow embroidery to make him happy.

Dipper, being as handy as he is, was taking care of all the maintenance and cleanup work around the Shack.

And finally, Mabel, being the extremely talented businesswoman that she is ran the gift shop. If business stayed like this, she was considering asking Soos and Melody if she could hire a couple more helping hands for the summer.

After closing, she saw the two boys looking exhausted on the couch. But she was prepared and brought just the thing. She skipped into the kitchen and pulled out a bottle of whip cream flavored vodka, ice cream, and root beer, “Who’s ready for Mabel’s famous Hard Root Beer Float?” she called out. Dipper’s head popped up, “Oh sweet! Light ice cream, heavy on the vodka in mine though.”

“Make mine however you normally make it, Shooting Star,” Bill added, his voice a sounding a little rough after talking all day.

“You got it!” she called from the kitchen. She didn’t plan on driving back to the mansion tonight, so they were good to drink as long as they could wake up early enough in the morning. But she figured since the Shack didn’t open until 10am and that if they could party until one in the morning and still make it to an 8am class, they could handle this.

 After she had finished making the drinks, she handed Dipper his special one first and passed the one of the regular ones to Bill before sitting down in the chair that was next to the sofa. Dipper took a huge swig from his and Mabel started on the ice cream first. She glanced at Bill who sniffed it first, then sipped it gingerly. His eyes widened when he realized that he like the taste and took a big swig from it like Dipper had done.

Mabel picked up the TV remote a flipped through channels for a minute before finally settling on an old horror movie from the 90s, _Scream_. The trilogy was one of her and Dipper’s favorite things to watch because Wes Kraven (may he rest in peace) was one of their favorite directors. The movies were easy to make fun of while still staying interesting. Like really? You’re going to murder everyone you know and then worry about your parents being mad? Priorities, sheesh.

Dipper perked up at the movie choice, clearly excited. “Oh, man! It’s been what, two years, since we’ve see binged this trilogy?”

“Don’t forget that there’s a fourth-“ Mabel started but Dipper quickly cut her off.

“Shush, we don’t talk about that one!”

Bill looked between the two, clearly confused and _clearly_ too proud to say that out loud. “This is a good movie, Bill. You might get a kick from it,” Mabel assured.

Bill gave her a small smile and nodded, returning to sipping on his drink.

Mabel and Dipper started making the usual funny comments in the beginning of the movie and Bill caught on to the humor fast and joined. During the commercial breaks, they took turns refilling each other’s drinks.

Mabel may have been tipsy but she noticed that Bill was already drunk after his second glass. He kept leaning on Dipper’s arm, his face flushed and eyes drooping slightly while Dipper’s eye was noticeably twitching, like he was trying so hard not to push him off.

It was a pretty cute and funny sight, so Mabel took her phone out and silenced it before secretly snapping a picture of the two. She felt so lucky to have a brother who would put up with this for the sake of his family.

During the last commercial break before the finale she thought that she should drink at least one bottle of water before she headed to bed.

“Dipper, Bill, want some water?”

“No, but I would like one more float without the ice cream, if you don’t mind?” Dipper said, with a clear buzz. Bill sat up slowly and looked at her as his eyes were starting glow yellow. “I’ll have some water, Star.” He then proceeded to put his head on Dipper’s lap and Dipper huffed and crossed his arms, his shoulders started to shake slightly so Mabel put her hand on one of them in a comforting gesture and he seemed to calm him down.

Her brother had obvious feelings of hatred towards the demon and honestly, so did she. He made her uneasy for _several_ different reasons. She knew that Dipper especially wanted to lash out and shut him out of their lives, but they were better people than that. That’s what made them the heroes.  If Grunkle Ford and Stan could get over their anger, so could they. It would just take time.

Mabel felt slightly unnerved at the sight of Bill’s glowing eyes. She also wasn’t so blind as to notice that Bill had been clinging to Dipper more and more, but it was in subtle ways. Like how he started walking closer to her brother whenever they went places, he would lean in closer to him when he spoke, and if he had to pick someone to sit next to during meals, it was always Dipper.

She didn’t want to think anything of it, but she wondered if the demon was getting an unhealthy attachment to her brother.

She was definitely going to have to figure this out. She needed to see what his intentions were because the last time he singled out Dipper, he got hurt. Bad.

When she came back into the living room, she set the refreshments on the coffee table and took a swig of her water.

“So, I’m thinking Saturday, we should hit the town and do something fun,” Mabel suggested, being totally casual. “Paz was telling me about this great bar in the next town over that her family owns, so we can totes get in for free.”

Bill sat up quickly, “Count me in Ssstar!” His voice slurred and he immediately fell back down onto Dipper’s lap. Mabel giggled at the ridiculous scene, knowing that the alcohol must be making his head spin. “So we close up at seven in the evening on Saturday, so I’m thinking that-“ Dipper cleared his throat, interrupting his sister, “Sorry, Mabes, but I can’t go.”

“What?! Why not, Pine Tree?” Bill asked, staring at Dipper from his lap. Dipper took a swig of his drink and looked away before answering. “I have a,” he paused for a few moments before finally mumbling out, “date.”

Mabel squealed, causing Bill to cover his ears. “Oh, Dipper! You’re going out with Carla aren’t you? Where are you taking her? How romantic do you plan on being? I introduced you, so don’t you dare embarrass me by just taking her to dinner and a movie.”

Dipper sheepishly looked away, “Actually, she’s taking me out. She’s going to show me the sights since I haven’t seen Gravity Falls in ten years.” Dippers voice was cracking a little. Dipper may have been good at hiding it, but Mabel could tell he was drunk, too.

“Aw, well that sounds great. I’m glad you’re getting back out in the field right away, Dipper,” Mabel smiled before checking the time on her phone. “I’m going to go to bed. I’m going to get up early to do inventory.”

“Alright, Mabes. Sweet dreams.”

“Yeah, night, Star.” Bill said, she didn’t need to look at him to know that he was pouting. Before she headed upstairs, she stopped to pinch Bill’s cheek, “Don’t worry, the three of us can go out next weekend you silly goose. So stop being such a gooey chocolate chip cookie.”  He puffed out his cheeks in response and she turned on her heel to head to bed.

Yeah, she definitely had a lot to figure out.

 

\------------------------

                The second _Scream_ movie started and Dipper was doing his best to not shove Bill out of his lap. Dipper was pretty tipsy himself and wanted to watch the movie but he was afraid that Bill wouldn’t let him move if they stayed like that for much longer. It was lost on Dipper why Bill had become so clingy to him, but he guessed it was better than him wanting to murder him and his family.

Dipper sighed and grabbed Bill by the shoulders, pulling him off of his lap. “C’mon, let’s get some sleep. We have another long day tomorrow.” Bill nodded, and Dipper had to tighten his grip to keep him from losing his balance.

_Bill Cipher has a weak constitution when it comes to drinking._ Dipper chuckled at the thought.  Bill stood up, swaying back and forth for a moment before standing still. Dipper followed suit, the alcohol really hitting him when he stood up and found himself doing the same motion Bill just did.

He grabbed Bill’s wrist and dragged him to their room, which was in the attic. Soos dug out the two twin size beds that he and Mabel used during their summer here and set it up for him and Bill to sleep in.

 Dipper was really glad that he wore his glasses instead of contacts, because he couldn’t handle taking them out right now. But a thought hit him, “Bill, do you need to take out your contacts?”

“Yeah.”

Dipper then steered him to the bathroom where they both kept their contact containers. Dipper shoved Bill into the bathroom and headed to their room. He was more than happy to ditch Bill, even if it was for a moment. He shrugged out of his jeans, leaving him in his boxes and a his t shirt, and carelessly tossed them on the ground.

He was almost asleep when he heard a thump from across the room. He sat up on his elbows turned his head to where the noise came from. Bill was on the floor in the middle of the room.

“For fucks sake,” Dipper swore under his breath and went to pick the dream demon off of the floor. He did not need the stress of stepping on Bill in the morning.

After Dipper pulled Bill to his feet he stepped away from Dipper, glaring at him, yellow eyes shining in the darkness. “Cancel your date. Hang out with me and Sshooting Ssstarrr,” he slurred towards the end.

Dipper didn’t have the patience for this, “Dude, I can’t be around you guys twenty four-seven. Plus Mabel wants this for me,” Dipper argued.

“But what do _you_ want?” Bill asked, standing his ground a little better.

“I want,” his eyes fell to the floor. What _did_ he want?

“I just want to be happy, so I’m trying Mabel’s way,” Dipper admitted.

“And what exactly is Shooting Stars way?” Bill asked, taking a step closer.

“Well, she believes that happiness lies with being in love. Not that I blame her, I was pretty miserable those two years I wasn’t romantically involved with someone,” Dipper mentally slapped himself. He was giving away way too much personal information but he couldn’t stop the words He also knew he was miserable for other reasons, but this has been eating at him for a while so the words kept pouring out in his drunken stupor. “And I see her point, I mean Shae and I were only together for a couple months and we had fun together. It wasn’t exactly ‘love’, and that was enough for me.”

“We haven’t been having fun together, Pine Tree?” Bill took another step closer, actually sounding a little hurt. Like his pride was being wounded. Of course the dream demon wouldn’t understand the difference between friendship and romance. Not that they had a friendship, but Bill was obviously in denial about them having a semblance of one.

“Shae and I had fun in different ways,” Dipper said, a blush creeping onto his cheeks. He thought Stan said that he handled all of the awkward talks with Bill. He _really_ didn’t really want to go over the birds and the bees with him.

Bill took one more step and grabbed Dipper by the shoulders, using him to support his weight. Dipper’s head started spinning when Bill pushed him onto the twin bed Dipper had been sneakily trying to lead Bill to so he would finally go to sleep. Dipper looked up at Bill’s eyes. They now glowed in a dangerous red shade. “Go to sleep, Pine Tree.”

Bill looked away and walked to the window and stared off into the distance. Dipper huffed, but crawled under the covers anyway.

Bill was acting like a spoiled child about this whole thing. Dipper closed his eyes, and right before sleep took him, he felt a weight drop into bed next to him. He was more than done with trying to talk to the drunken demon so instead of kicking Bill out of bed, he just went to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *bounces up and down in excitement* Next chapter we finally start to get this show on the road!


	10. We Intertwined

Bill’s stupid hazy human mind woke him up in the middle of the night. There was something warm next to him and clutched it in an attempt to retain its warmth. It clutched him back and snuggled into his chest. Bill’s blurry mind slowly realized that it was Pine Tree that he was embracing. He tangled their legs together and buried his face in his messy brown hair.

This was a type of serenity he wasn’t used to. He was either swaying back and forth on a small boat, too wound up, or too cold to actually enjoy sleeping. He breathed in Pine Tree’s sweaty scent and found it oddly comforting. It was no wonder why humans clung to each other, this was surprisingly blissful. The warmth he was feeling was different than the strange unnatural warmth that the kid normally exuded. It had a nice buzz to it. The dream demon then closed his eyes and fell into the most comfortable sleep he’s ever had as a human.  

 

Bill woke up when all the warmth he was feeling moments ago was gone. He had a slight headache, presumably from the hangover he was going to have to suffer through. His eyes flitted over to the movement in the room.

“Pine Tree? What the heck are you doing?”

The kid was dressed in black sweat pants and one of those stupid graphic tees, stretching out his arms and sides. When he noticed Bill staring at him, he looked a little rattled and his eyes darted around before very quickly saying, “Well, I just woke up with a lot of energy, so I’m going running.”

Bill’s head hurt still so he just waved him off, wanting to try and sleep for a few minutes. Pine Tree made a movement to leave the room, but hesitated at the door. He turned to look at Bill and in return Bill quirked his eyebrow questioningly.

“No more sleeping in the same bed, I don’t care if there are witches or how drunk you are. It’s _weird_ ,” he said before quickly, eyes glancing at Bill, waiting for some sort of confirmation. “Kid, I’m _the_ walking, talking definition of weird,” Bill said, pointedly.

“I mean, it’s just, ugh,” Pine Tree’s face was getting red and Bill laughed at him. Pine Tree’s face was priceless and it was hilarious hearing him try to stutter out an argument. That laugh earned Bill a scowl and Pine Tree retreated out of the room quickly. _Worth it._

Bill rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling for a moment before finally realizing that he was too cold and awake to fall back asleep. He got out of bed and realized that he fell asleep in his clothes from last night. It’s a good thing that he was prepared since Pine Tree practically moved all of his possessions here yesterday so Bill took the liberty of bringing some of his things along too. Bill didn’t have the option of going back to the Mansion since Shooting Star only worked half days.

Bill showered and put on his Mr. Mystery suit and headed downstairs, the scent of something sweet filling his nostrils.

Shooting Star was pulling chocolate muffins out of a pan and setting them on a plate in the center of the table.

“Morning, Shooting Star,” he said, while letting out a yawn. He sat down in one of the chairs and grabbed a muffin and finished it off quickly in two bites.

“Morning Bill. Is Dipper up yet?” she asked as she pulled some orange juice out from the fridge and filled up two cups and passed one to him.

“Thanks,” Bill said and took a quick sip before answering her question. “Yeah, he’s up. He actually went running this morning. Said, he had a lot of energy.”

Shooting Star laughed loudly for a full minute and said, “Well hopefully his date goes well this weekend, then.”

Bill was lost for a moment and his until went to those books Sixer had given him and his knowledge on the male human body. Bill would have laughed at the idea of _morning wood_ being the reason Pine Tree was so flustered this morning, but what Shooting Star insinuated about his date irked Bill.

Bill wasn’t an idiot when it came to human rituals and he understood that this was a completely natural process for these meat sacks and they needed to do this to survive as a species. This was normal for humans, but Pine Tree wasn’t supposed to be normal. He never pictured the kid being a normal and healthy human. He was supposed to get wrapped up in the adventure and thrill of chasing things that might not even be there instead of trudging along with the rest of humanity in its normal boring routine.

The only times he really saw a spark in Pine Tree’s eyes was that day in the woods when they were hunting for the Night Raven or when Bill talked about the mystery hunts that he and the geezers went on, _but_ he never went out of his way to bring it up himself.

The kid seemed to push back everything supernatural as just a hobby, not something that was the main focus in his life anymore. He started looking for things in the “real” world and that didn’t sit right with Bill. Sure, the kid had done his own research halfheartedly, but what Bill understood now is that Pine Tree was wasting his talents and resources.

Also, from what Bill had gathered from their conversations, he was supposed to help Sixer with his research and learn how to work in that field but he hasn’t tried to do that at all since he’s been here! And he majored in history and anthropology? Studied things that had already happened? _Bleh!_ Hell, he didn’t even seem interested in venturing into the woods until someone asked him to! He didn’t seem to even want to deal with the paranormal anymore. He was stuck drifting where the tides took him.

Bill was seething at the thought. The thing that made Pine Tree who he is, well _was_ , was his persistence and he’s lost it. _He lost part of who he is._

Bill’s eyes widened as the gears in his head turned quickly, putting pieces into place. Bill had made a huge realization and he couldn’t even tell anyone about it. They wouldn’t believe him without proof. If there was proof. This kid could have really grown up to be this boring adult, but that was too easy. Bill was going to follow his instinct on this.

“Earth to Bill! Yoohoo!”

Bill looked at Shooting Star, who was waving hand in his face. “What.”

Shooting Star flinched at how angry he sounded, but he didn’t care in that moment. Something was _really_ was wrong and he needed to mend the situation quickly.

“I- Well I was just asking if you planned on riding back with me tonight. Since it’s busy, I’m going to stay a full day again,” Star sputtered out. Bill took a deep breath and let it out slowly, calming himself down. He was going to get to the bottom of this eventually. Nothing could stop him.

“No, I don’t think I will. But thanks for the offer,” Bill added quickly, glancing up to see Star’s face relax.

He gave her a kind smile, to let him know that he wasn’t mad at her. The last thing he needed was for the geezers to come down on him for upsetting their grandniece.

Bill had a single task in his mind that he needed to complete. He was finally going to take the plunge and actively try to get back in the Mindscape. He had to make sure that this was the kid’s natural state of mind.  For Fez and Sixer.

 

 ….For Dipper.

\------------------------

                The rest of the week went by in a flash. Everything seemed relatively normal for Dipper. Well, as normal as it could be. After his awkward wake up call that required him to run until he exhausted himself to forget about his hormones, things started to fall into place. He tried so hard to push that morning out of his mind. He hated himself for feeling comfortable in the state they were in. Every time he thought about it, his face began heating up so he focused more and more on texting Carla and thinking about his date this weekend.  

He was finally successful in pushing the entire morning out of his mind when he walked in on Bill meditating. Dipper caught Bill meditating a few different  times when he was alone and when he asked about it, Bill just blew him off by saying, “By the time I’m done explaining why I need to do this, you’d have already died of old age, Pine Tree.”

Dipper shrugged it off and let him be, thankful for the personal space. Mabel mentioned that he was ticked off a few days ago about something, so Dipper assumed that he was just calming himself down instead of lashing out at them. Which he actually appreciated.

When Bill wasn’t in his meditative state, he asked a lot of personal questions about Mabel’s and his high school and college years, “How much did you guys drink, usually?” or “Did you get hit in the head a lot, Pine Tree?”  Mabel was pretty much an open book for the most part, but Dipper kept his answers vague if he even graced him with a serious answer.

The Stan’s even dropped by the Shack a few times to check up on things. They were a good source to have around because any questions they forgot to as Soos, they were able to consult with them.  

By the time Saturday rolled around the brunet was a nervous wreck, fretting over his date.

Carla finally sent Dipper a picture, and when he saw the girl his sister hooked him up with, his jaw dropped. Her skin looked like she was sculpted out of caramel. She had dark brown hair, wide chocolate eyes and a smile that could melt the polar ice caps. And he had a date tonight. With her. _Shit._

Dipper put his hat on the dresser and pulled out the black button up that he had brought over specifically for tonight. He wasn’t sure where they were going, but he didn’t want to be too casual or too formal. He had on a black undershirt and he left his shirt unbuttoned with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows. He put on some dark wash jeans and black sneakers. He had combed his hair forward and shaved the stubble that was growing on his face. He had been clean shaven since he got here, so he might as well keep it that way for his date.

When Dipper went downstairs, Mabel squealed about how he looked nice and how she was proud of him for actually putting forth effort. Bill was scrolling through his phone and didn’t even look up at him.

“So, are you going to stay here tonight?” he asked them.

“Yeah, I think I am. Since _someone_ already had plans, Paz, Candy, and Grenda are coming over for a simple movie night with me and Bill instead of going out. _We’ll_ be doing that next weekend,” Mabel informed him. Bill looked up at the sound of his name. “Yeah, Shooting Star promised me enough junk food to put me in a, what was it? Sugar coma? Whatever that is.”

Despite Bill’s best efforts humor his sister, Dipper could tell that he was pretty disinterested in the whole thing, altogether. Dipper had definitely been there before. “How about tomorrow, we all go to Greasy’s for breakfast and figure out something fun to do with our off day?” Dipper offered up.

Bill looked back at his phone and absentmindedly stated, “Whatever makes you happy, Pine Tree.”

_I finally try to be nice and he gives me this crap? What gives?_

The sound of the doorbell distracted Dipper from his thoughts. “Alright, I’m out guys. I’ll try not to be back too late,” Dipper called. “Okie dokie, bro-bro! Remember, no necking until the third date,” Mabel teased. Dipper rolled his eyes and walked opened the door to the porch.

Carla’s picture really didn’t do her justice. She wore a purple dress that stopped right above her knees, decorated with little bows, and a jean jacket with the sleeves rolled up.

“Hi,” he greeted, sheepishly. “Hey,” she replied, shifting a little awkwardly. Dipper felt a little better when he realized that he wasn’t the only one that’s nervous.

He leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms in and gave her a sideways smile, hoping to whatever god was out there that he looked halfway charming. “You look nice,” he started with the compliment. She smiled the same smile she sent in that picture. “Thanks. You’re not half bad yourself,” she said with a wink.

Dipper could feel himself relaxing a little bit and stepped towards her. “So where to?”

She put her index finger over her lips and said in a sing song voice, “It’s a secret!” She then turned to lead him to her car. After he sat down in the passenger side, everything fell into place for the rest of the night.

She took him out to eat at her favorite mom and pop restaurant. It was a quaint Italian place that could only seat maybe twenty customers at a time, but it was still good. She then drove him to the lake, and they skipped rocks and stargazed.

Dipper was content with how normal this felt. Unlike his life at the Shack with Bill clinging to him, asking him about his independent research on the weird things that existed in other parts of the county, or having that excited look on his face whenever it was Dipper’s turn to cook, or even how he-

“Dipper?” Carla, shook his arm. They were sitting on the pier, feet dangling off. He immediately snapped his attention back to her. “Hmm?”

He suddenly felt soft lips on his, and he chastely returned it, before pulling away. Carla looked away from him and back to her Toyota before muttering out her next question, “It’s getting late. Should we..?” she trailed off, letting Dipper get to his own conclusion.

“Yeah, we should get out of here.”

Dipper had actually done the coffee dance before once during his freshman year of college, though he was the one on the receiving end of the invitation for coming inside for “coffee.”

Dipper had her take him back to the pool house since he knew it would be empty and when he offered to make coffee, Carla eagerly nodded her head and exited the vehicle.

The second the front door closed behind them, Carla had pulled Dipper into an embrace before pulling him down by the collar so his lips could meet hers. “Hope you weren’t too keen for that coffee,” she whispered.

“I wasn’t holding my breath.” Dipper held her tenderly with one hand on the back of her neck, and the other on her waist. The tenderness started to fade when her tongue invaded his mouth and he used both hands to pull her waist closer.

He was in the middle of helping her shrug out of her jacket when they both heard the sound of someone clearing their throat from the stairway.

Dipper immediately stepped away from Carla and turned his head to person who made the noise, expecting Mabel to be standing there. But to his horror, but not to his surprise, Bill was there instead.

“B-bill! I thought you were at the Shack with Mabel,” he managed to squeak out, heat rising to his cheeks. Partially in anger, partially in embarrassment.   

Bill put his hands on his hips and rolled his eyes. “I was, but it was _painfully_ boring there, so I came home.”

“This isn’t your home. Your room is in that building, over there! Dipper said, pointing to the main house.”

Bill huffed and crossed his arms, looking away from him. “I like it over here better.” Dipper pinched the bridge of his nose and muttered, “Oh my god.”

Dipper glanced at Carla who looked between the two of them. “Hey, I didn’t realize I was stepping in on someone else’s territory. Sorry,” she said quietly, slowly side stepping towards the front door.

Bill looked at her with his eyes narrowed, “You _should_ be.”

Realization of what Carla’s words meant dawned on Dipper. “Carla, don’t be sorry. It’s not like that at all,” he defended, shooting a glare back at Bill.

“No, you clearly have some things you need to work out with your, _friend,_ over there. I got a little eager, sorry,” she said, gesturing towards Bill.

Dipper felt mortified by the accusation, his face turned a bright red. “B-bill isn’t- We’re not. Don’t say it _friend_ like that. I’m serious, that’s not how it is.”

“So we’re not friends, Pine Tree? That hurts considering _all_ we’ve been through together,” Bill said, with a wink.

“You are _so_ not helping,” Dipper snapped.

“I’m going to leave you two to sort things out. I did have a great time tonight though. Maybe we could hang out again as friends? Catch you later,” she spoke quickly before slipping out of the door, closing it behind her.

Dipper stared at the door for a moment in silence before turning his head back to Bill. “You’re really committed to making me unhappy, aren’t you?”

Bill took slow, deliberate steps towards Dipper, until he was staring him directly in the face. “The only one committed to making you unhappy is you. Pine Tree, you’re not the same. Something happened to you to make you not care as much. You used to have a lot of passion and pride in everything you did, and now it seems you only do things that you need to instead of want to. Haven’t you noticed?”

“In case you haven’t noticed, passion is more Mabel’s thing. I’m just the guy who over thinks everything way too much,” Dipper retorted, taking his turn to roll his eyes.

“Do you though? Are you over thinking things in that head of yours? Because it seems to me that your thought process has been limited. You don’t ask the right questions anymore. You don’t look for answers unless someone else asks you to. You’re smart, Pine Tree, but you’re not living up to your potential. That over analyzing thought process you used to have was what drove your passion for the things in this town, and now it’s gone. When was the last time you’ve made a _serious_ decision for yourself?”

“Well, I-“ Dipper started intended to prove the demon wrong. He tried to think of his last major decision and nothing came. His heart started racing when he realized that it was true. He changed his major because his dad wanted him to, his girlfriends were the ones that asked _him_ out or Mabel made him ask them out, even writing and sending a book into be published was Ford’s suggestion, and his adventures he had with the paranormal happened by chance or by Mabel’s plan. Never his own.

Dipper fell back against the front door, rubbing his temples and tried to think back to when this all started. He couldn’t remember the last _major_ life decision he made on his own. He could decide what to eat, or what clothes he wanted to wear, but anything that affected his life in a serious manner, he didn’t decide for himself. “Oh god,” Dipper said, closing his eyes in a desperate attempt to remember. “What happened to me?”

Dipper felt a hand on his shoulder, “It’s okay, Pine Tree. I’m going to figure this out.” Dipper was angry. Angry he couldn’t remember. Angry at Bill for pointing it out. Angry that he let his life fall into a limbo.

He gripped Bill by the collar, who then let his hand drop back to his side, “Why did you point this out to me?” Dipper yelled, ready to take his aggression out on the demon in front of him. He wanted so badly to take his aggression out on him, but his anger started faded immediately as he felt it. He wanted to punch Bill but couldn’t. Dipper then realized, he hasn’t even been in a real fight since his last visit to Gravity Falls. His anger had dissipated from fury to mild annoyance in an instance.

Bill had a stoic look plastered on his face. Dipper couldn’t tell what he was thinking at all and this frustrated him even more.

“Why?” he pressed, impatiently.

Dipper felt hands on either side of his face. Bill looked him in the eyes and spoke through grit teeth, ”I told you kid, I’ll save your ass as many times as I need to. If there’s outside influence to this, I need to stop it.”

Dipper let out a growl of frustration before pushing Bill backwards. “Well maybe I don’t need saving! Maybe it’s not anything paranormal! Maybe I just grew up to be this way! It doesn’t always have to be weird, Bill! People change over time!”

“First of all, kid, everything that happens around you is weird. You radiate this weird warm energy. Second of all, people do change but _not_ at their core, Pine Tree. And a being an annoying persistent kid is the core of who you are. Or _were_ ,” Bill said as he regained his balance.

“And what’s yours? Clinginess and greed? Things were going great for me tonight but you couldn’t butt out for one night. I wasn’t even asking for a full day! Like seriously, this conversation could have happened tomorrow,” Dipper said, feeling exasperated. He leaned back against the door and covered his hands with his face.

He heard shifting in front of him and felt a hat being placed on his head. He peeked through his fingers to see Bill’s expression. He had blank look on his face. When Bill really wanted to, he could win any poker tournament with that face. “I needed to tell you this now,” he said, voice void of emotion.

Dipper’s face, on the other hand, turned red as he spoke, “And I’ve lost my chance with Carla. She thinks I’m just having issues with my boyfriend which is _so_ not the case.”

“Oh, so we’re not having issues? We’re good?” Bill asked, tilting his head, quirking an eyebrow.

“No- I mean yes. I mean, she was thinking something completely different about _us_ ,” Dipper frantically gestured between the two of them trying to make the demon understand.

Bill let out a laugh that lit up the whole room, “Kid, I’m just messing with you! I’m not an idiot! I know what she thought and if you were _persistent,_ you’d clear the air with her instead of letting her walk out.” He lingered over the word persistent and looked into Dipper’s eyes as he said it. Dipper shoved his hands in his pocket and sidestepped around the demon to get to the stairs.

“I’m done with this. I’m done with you. I’m going to bed.”

“Hey, kid. Can I try something?” Bill asked while grabbing his arm to stop him from leaving. Dipper yanked his arm out of his grasp violently and faced him.

“What.”

Bill lifted his hands and took a step forward and Dipper flinched and took a step back. “Would you just stay still for a moment?” Bill asked a little forcefully before taking Dipper’s face in his hands and planting rough kiss on his lips. Dipper thought his heart stopped. His eyes closed instinctually and he cursed himself, but couldn’t bring himself to pull away.

The kiss deepened momentarily. A silent suggestion hung in the air.

Bill pulled away as quickly as he had planted the kiss. He took two steps back and watched Dipper with patience.

That silent suggestion was all Dipper could think about. He should have been thinking about how his (still?) enemy just kissed him or how he should be repulsed by the thought of kissing a demon. Every time his thoughts strayed from the suggestion, a fog came into his head and pulled him back into what was in front of him. And Bill was in front of him, looking like he was waiting to be kissed back.

He took step toward Bill who backed up with narrowed eyes. He looked as though he was expecting the brunet to hurt him after the stunt he just pulled. “Will you just stay still?” Dipper asked calmly before grabbing the blonde by the face and pulling him into another kiss. He kissed Bill softly and Bill’s hands found their way to Dipper’s waist. They possessively pulled Dipper closer while Dipper’s hands moved from Bill’s face to around his neck.

Bill suddenly twirled them around and Dipper found himself up against a wall, the demon’s tongue in his mouth. Bill’s hands moved under Dipper’s shirt and started clawing at his back, causing him to moan into the kiss. Just when Dipper moved his hands to return the favor, Bill broke the kiss and leaned his forehead against his, breathing heavily.

Dipper froze. He peeked from under his bangs to see Bill had his eyes closed, his breath brushing across his lips as he rested his head against his. To Dipper, it looked like he was contemplating actually going through with this. But when he opened his eyes, it was another story.

They were bright red.

Dipper watched in horror as the blue contacts he was wearing disintegrated, leaving two very small black slits in their place.

“It’s just as I thought, Pine Tree. Something HAS messed with your noggin,” he growled out as he stepped away. “Who. Would. DARE! I mean it, who would dare?! It should be _obvious_ to all other demons that this is still MY territory!” Blue flames erupted from the blonde demon as he stared at his hands in a blind fury and Dipper scrambled backwards to avoid getting burned.

“B-Bill! You need to calm down, or else you’re going to burn down our home!” Dipper yelled, trying to get Bill’s attention.

Bill looked at Dipper and then back to his hands before taking a very, _VERY_ deep calming breath. The flames immediately receded, though his eyes still burned a bright yellow. He stepped towards Dipper, grabbed him by the shoulders and buried his face in the crook of Dipper’s neck, continuing to take deep breaths, shaking violently while trying to regain his self-control.

Dipper wasn’t sure what to do, but Bill seemed legitimately upset on his behalf so Dipper put his arms around Bill’s shoulders. This seemed to do the trick and calmed him down.

Eventually the shaking stop and his breaths became more even. When Dipper felt like the demon was calm enough, he finally asked, “What were you talking about earlier?”

Bill quickly stepped out of Dipper’s arms and flattened his ruffled hair and straightening his clothes. In a matter of moments he looked like he _didn’t_ just hop on a very fast emotional rollercoaster while dragging Dipper along for the ride.

After clearing his throat, he finally spoke, “Here’s the deal, Pine Tree. Someone has messed with the wiring in your brain. When I pressed my forehead to yours, I did a little digging around your mindscape and found that there was a big gaping hole in your memory and some well-placed suggestions in your mind.”

Dipper, whose head was still spinning after their little make out session and Bill’s sudden freak out, finally cleared the fog from his head and narrowed his eyes suspiciously, “What are you saying, Bill? That I’ve been brainwashed?”

“Ding! Ding! Ding! Give the kid a prize! He finally gets it!” Bill said, loudly. “Bill! You can’t just go snooping in my head, it’s not right! How am I supposed to believe you, anyway? I lived my life just fine until I came back here.”

“I’ll put it to you this way, kid. Would you, in your own volition decide to reach out and kiss me?”

“No, I-“

 “And did you stop and process what I did before you reacted? I _did_ give you enough space, to think clearly didn’t I?”

“Yeah, but-“

“Did you even stop to think about what happened?”

“No, I just-“

“Just what? Kissed the monster that tried to destroy you _and_ your family ten years ago? Make out with the demon that ripped you out of your body and used you as a puppet? Pine Tree, that’s illogical and as much as I love seeing you act crazy- actually on second thought, let’s keep you this way. Now that I know how _submissive_ you are I can-“

“BILL! Stop, I get it. What happened to me?” Dipper said, really not wanting to hear what Bill had in mind for him.  

“I’ve spent all week practicing getting into the mindscape, so I _should_ be able to get us into your mind to show you what I mean,” Bill said, rubbing his chin in thought. “But there’s a catch.” Dipper sighed, knowing that this was coming, “What is it?”  

“I’ll have to fall asleep next to you.”

“What? Why?” Dipper asked in a whine. He was sick of Bill invading his personal space. _And I just kissed him. Something_ is _wrong with me._

“Seriously, Pine Tree? After what we just did, you’re still shy? Hell, because of that fog in your head I could have taken it much, _much,_ further if I wanted to,” Bill said, his voice darkening a little. It actually sent chills down Dipper’s spine, but he wasn’t about to admit that.

“Fine, you can show me you’re ‘proof’ but if this is a ploy to sleep next to me again, I’ll murder you,” Dipper huffed before stomping up the stairs. He heard Bill called out, “Oh, Pine Tree, you sweet talker!” and Dipper’s face blushed at his words. He knew that the demon was trying to get a rise out of him. Well, a different kind of rise than the one he was experiencing right now despite _everything_ that just happened. _Damn my hormones._

“I’m going shower first! I’ll call you up when I’m ready for you,” Dipper called out to the demon who remained downstairs. He heard a laugh and before Bill replied, “Okay Pine Tree, take _all the time_ you need!”

Dipper slammed his bedroom door and wondered how things went downhill for him so quickly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, ten chapters in and we finally get to the main point of the plot! In the next chapter I promise I'll cover Dipper's crazy thought process, so hold on to your hats because the ride starts getting bumpy from here!


	11. More Than Alive

Bill stood next to Pine Tree in the mindscape. He looked over at the kid, who was getting huffy at seeing their bodies so close together on the bed. Because of his current deal with the geezers, he couldn’t make any new deals while in this form so Pine Tree had to let him in the old fashioned way, with a spell that ripped them both from their mortal bodies.

  Okay, so _maybe_ they didn’t have to fall sleep _together_ , but Bill missed being warm and what the kid doesn’t know won’t hurt him.

Now that Bill thought about it, Pine Tree was also probably grumpy over the fact that Bill had interrupted his stupid human mating ritual, but even so he feeling pretty good about himself for stopping that soon to be train wreck. Bill can recognize crazy in anyone’s eye from a mile away, and boy did she have some crazy going on in _her_ head.

“Can we just get going?” Pine Tree mumbled out, impatient as ever.  

Bill side stepped and opened a black door that appeared out of nowhere. “Sure thing, kid!” Bill replied with his usual jovialness. He wanted the mood to be light because Pine Tree was about to get a very harsh dose of reality.

Bill gestured to the doorway and gave the boy a grin, “After you, Pine Tree!” Instead of moving, the kid looked Bill up and down for a moment and then looked down at himself. “Checking me out, Pine Tree? I do look more dashing in this ensemble than those plain clothes I have to wear every day, don’t I?” Bill donned a very lustrous golden button up with black slacks and accessorized with a black bowtie and floating top hat. He missed this _power_ he had over reality. Sure he had some power in the physical realm, but because of his deal he had to keep the usage to a minimum.

“Actually, I expected to see you as a triangle,” the kid said, making a little triangle with his fingers in front of his left eye.

Bill chuckle at how silly he looked. “Kid, that’s not who I am right now. That body over there is. Once it dies naturally, then I’ll regain my triangle form and all of its gloriousness, and not a moment sooner. Shame you probably won’t be alive to see it again.”

Pine Tree hesitated a moment before finally shrugging and walking past Bill. Bill followed him through the door and it disappeared with an audible _Pop!_

The kid’s mindscape was a maze of trees. _Surprise, surprise._

Bill grabbed Pine Tree’s hand and started pulling him into the maze, “Stay close, kid. We shouldn’t get separated in this part.”

“Why is it like this?” he asked while trying to free his grip from Bill’s but the demon just squeezed harder. There was no way he was going to take the blame for the kid ending up a vegetable if he got himself lost.

“Because you’re on edge, knowing that I’m here. Your mind automatically set this up as a defense for me. That’s why I was able to peek at what was going on so quickly earlier because you were thoroughly   distracted,” Bill stated, probably a little too proudly.

Pine Tree finally stopped struggling for his hand, and chose to ignore that comment as he sped up his pace to be next to Bill.

“But I gave you permission to be here this time?” he asked more as a question than a statement.

“Let’s call it a reflex since you don’t have a lot of control of your own mindscape right now. A mind isn’t supposed to be invaded. Like ever,” Bill said, thoughtfully.

“But you being, well _you_ , means that you break all the rules,” the kid sighed out.

Bill smirked at him and teased, “He _can_ be taught.”

They were finally out of the forest and Bill let go of Pine Tree’s hand. They were standing in front of a two story house in a nice neighborhood.

“This is my house back in Piedmont,” the kid stated as if Bill didn’t already know that. The blonde rolled his eyes and strolled forward, “Duh, Pine Tree. This is where the suggestions were placed since this house has the strongest sense of what’s ‘normal’ for you.”

Bill opened the front door of the house so Pine Tree could see the inner mechanisms of his own mind for himself. There were hundreds of windows and doors with memories playing behind them, just like he knew Pine Tree had seen in Fez’s head. Only this time, there were what _looked_ like several red strings stretching through the grey of the mindscape, phasing through the doors into specific memories, but Bill’s expert eyes could tell it was just one long string binding certain memories together.

“What is this?” Pine Tree asked, reaching out to pluck at one of the strings. Bill quickly slapped his hand away, “If you accidentally break it, you’ll go insane. This red string ties together the different ideals that combine into the disinterested character you are today.”

“How?” Pine Tree looked up at Bill, his eyes full of terror as cold realization washed over him. That was familiar. Bill missed _that_. He hasn’t had anyone look at him with that look in their eyes for _so_ long. He had to learn to repress his more sadistic side to get along with the geezers, but that look in the kid’s eyes gaze him immense satisfaction.

Bill couldn’t stop himself from grinning as he spoke, “The string touches something in each specific memory that acts as a trigger.”

Bill stepped through the strings a little less than carefully, enjoying the panicked look Pine Tree was giving him, to open a door that the string phased through for the kid to see. Bill was also genuinely curious about what the triggers were as well. He didn’t stay long enough to dig around in the actual memories when he peeked in here earlier, he was just there long enough to see this mess before being blinded by rage.

The scene that played out was of Pine Tree and Shooting Star. They looked about fourteen at the time and they walking into their house looking exhausted.

_“I’m going to shower first, okay Dip Dop?” a younger Shooting Star stated while looking extremely giddy. “Go ahead, Mabel, I’m just going to go to sleep,” a younger Pine Tree responded with a yawn._

_“Dipper, you can’t ignore personal hygiene,” she said with a pout, stepping right where the red string was running through as she spoke._

_“Can and will. For tonight at least,” Pine Tree said while dropping his book bag on the floor and heading up the stairs._

_“Come ooooon, you gotta take better care of yourself, bro-bro,” Shooting Star whined._

_Pine Tree didn’t stop ascending the stairs as he shouted back, “I’ll be fine Mabel, it’s just a little dirt.”_

Bill glanced at the Pine Tree that was watching the scene play out and he had a skeptical look on his face. “I don’t understand, what was significant about Mabel telling me to take a bath? She used to have to tell me all the time.”

“It’s apparently something you didn’t used to care about, but now you take a shower every single day without fail. Or twice, if you count today,” Bill said with a wink (he _really_ enjoyed having the option of winking). Even though the kiss was merely an experiment to see if he could manipulate Pine Tree as well, the scene stayed in the forefront of his mind and he couldn’t help teasing Pine Tree about it. He watched as Pine Tree’s face turned red and felt his grin grow a little wider.

But what that kiss also helped Bill discover about this particular manipulation is if your suggestion was strong enough, it could fully influence the kid. That’s why when Pine Tree said that Shooting Star wanted him to go out with that girl he did, despite Bill’s request to cancel. Shooting Star is the most important person in his life so any suggestion she has, overrides Bill’s by a mile. If she was there when Bill kissed him and told him to stop, the demon would have been rebuffed.

But because she _wasn’t_ , Bill got to experience some primal human feelings he didn’t even realize this particular body had. Sure he had possessed people whose bodies craved that kind of _touch_ but he hadn’t felt the need for that once in _this_ body until tonight. As a matter of fact, if he hadn’t discovered that another demon was treading on his territory then he probably would have taken Pine Tree to bed. Pine Tree had kissed him “willingly” (Bill uses the term loosely) so he could have worked it out in a way so he could get away with it in his deal with the geezers as well. Because Sixer just _had_ to add a “no seducing family members” clause in there. _Though he probably was just thinking of Shooting Star when he added that, but what can ya do?_

“Okay, I see your point. What else is there?” the brunet asked, choosing to completely disregarding Bill’s comment and successfully pulled him out of his cogitations. But Bill could still see how his words affected him and his capriciousness returned.

“Let’s find out!” Bill said, crawling through the string. He opened door after door, looking to see what ideals were wired into Pine Tree’s core. They all had something to do with people telling him to change something about himself _. Have more confidence, don’t read so much, be more social, go with the flow, just listen to me_ , _stop spacing out so much. Quit being so… weird._ And a few other dozen suggestions. All by different people in very different times in his life, so Bill concluded that he wasn’t being targeted by a specific human.

The more Bill watched, the more his blood began to boil. Pine Tree was forced to change and live by all of these insipid rules. Not even good rules like, always remember to trip the person next to you if you’re  being chased by zombies or if you’re going to play tether ball with a severed head always remember to wear a poncho. Those at least make sense! Besides, those rules _sounded_ like they were good for him, but really they were more or less good for the people _around_ him. Pine Tree probably felt empty most of the time without even realizing it.

 Bill also took note that the memories the string was attached to all seemed to happen before the age of seventeen, so that must be when his mind was tampered with. Once he put Pine Tree in the right mindset, he would ask about any significant events during that time.

Bill could see the tension rolling off Pine Tree from across the strings, he looked like he had seen enough. The demon managed to get enough information get started on his investigation, so as he decided her was done here as well, he teleported back next to Pine Tree.   

“I forgot you could do that,” Pine Tree said as he stumbled backwards in surprise. “This is the mindscape, kid! You can do anything! Be _anyone_ you want to be, no judgement.”

Pine Tree looked to the ground for a moment and then back up to Bill. His wide coffee colored eyes stared directly into Bill’s, clearly shook up. “But I don’t know who I am anymore. I- I don’t think I want to know, actually. Especially if I’ll go mental if you remove these.”

“Relax, kid, I said if you _accidentally_ removed these, you’d lose it. A professional, like _myself,_ should be able to keep your sanity intact if you’re up for the challenge of keeping your shit together. Not only is this tying together the ideals that make you be who these people in your memories want you to be but you’ve got a LOT of repressed emotions being held back, just floating around in here. It _might_ take you a few hours to sort things out in your head. Luckily Shooting Star will probably be too hung over to move tomorrow,” Bill spoke with such overconfidence that the worry on Pine Tree’s face started to fade.

“Wait, why is it good she won’t be around? If I have to deal with my repressed emotions, I want her here for support.”

Bill rolled his eyes. “So if you wake up tomorrow wanting to murder everyone in the vicinity, you’d want her there? This isn’t kid stuff, Pine Tree. This string held back a part of who you are and it also messed with the chemicals in your brain. And kid, you have a _lot_ of repressed aggression. I could see it in your eyes when I told you that you had been brainwashed and I can feel it pulsating in here.”

Another reason Bill couldn’t have Shooting Star around is that if for some stupid reason she told him not to let Bill fix him, Dipper wouldn’t let the demon help and then he’d be doomed to a life of mediocrity.

Pine Tree seemed to shrink at Bill’s words, “Yeah, I guess you’re right. But you’re next to me. You’re going to be there in the line of fire.”

“I can handle you, kid. You won’t be able to hurt me though I’m pretty sure that if there was anyone in this world you wanted to hurt, it would be me,” Bill meant to say that sentence playfully with a smirk but he found himself saying it gently. Either way, he meant it because Pine Tree was definitely showing Bill vulnerability and Bill, after finally, _finally_ got the kid to cut him some slack wasn’t going to betray that small, microscopic seed of trust he worked so hard to gain. The kid wouldn’t have let the dream demon that tormented him that summer into his head willingly if there wasn’t _something_ there, right?

Before Bill could actually do anything to help the kid, he needed to clarify _one_ thing.

“But, do you _really_ want this kid? I know I’m pushing fixing this on you and I don’t want you to think about me at all when you make your final decision. I can’t mess with your head without your permission. It would break the deal I have with the geezers if I did, so _you_ get the final word.”

Pine Tree closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He looked like he was having a major internal struggle and the mindscape vibrated, reflecting that. When he finally opened his eyes, he shakily spoke, “Y-yes. I-uh I want this. Every fiber of my being is telling me not to do this. That I _need_ to go back to my normal life. But I _want_ to see what I’ve been repressing and figure out how to get those blank memories back. I want to know why I was even targeted for this kind of thing to begin with.”

“Honestly kid, your brain has been hardwired to try to stick to normalcy. If it’s set up like this so you would stay away from mystery hunting, then you probably got too close to stopping another demon’s plan and they wanted you out of the way. But why they didn’t just do things the easy way and dispose of you is beyond me,” Bill stated half informative, half curiously. _Unless he’s being used as a pawn_.

That thought _really_ ruffled Bill’s feathers. If anyone was going to make a pawn of the Pines family, it was going to be Bill Cipher. This also explained how some of Pine Tree’s energy felt unnatural. Bill should have recognized it sooner, but it was the aura of this demon’s handy work, like a signature. But the real question is, why choose just _him_? Bill didn’t sense anything off with any other of the Pines clan so why was he singled out?

“Let’s just get this over with,” Pine Tree said, looking tired.

Bill gave Pine Tree a wide, reassuring grin. “Okay. I’m going to make you go to sleep so you can get some rest. In the morning all these strings will be down and we can figure out where to go from there.”

“Wait, I have to ask, why? If you know that you could control me, why are you fixing it?”

Bill had a lot of reasons. First: Someone was stepping onto his turf and hurting the current deal he was in. Second: He felt some sort of, _ugh_ , loyalty to Fez and Sixer so this was something that he needed to do for their sake. Third and lastly: The idea, the very thought of someone being changed just because they were a little too _weird_ for someone else’s taste, made him _very_ angry. And whoever did this was going to found out exactly what happens when you truly make Bill Cipher _MAD_.

But instead of saying all these things, Bill just simply stated, “Kid, like I said before, I’ll save your ass as many times as necessary.”

Pine Tree gave him a meek smile and Bill stared into his eyes for a moment. He reached out to touch Pine Tree’s cheek and said, “Sweet dreams,” before he made the kid disappear from in front of him.

Once he was sure Pine Tree was in a deep enough sleep, Bill cracked his knuckles and popped his neck, ready to work.

“Let’s see if I can get the attention of the demon that did this.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------

                Sheriff Blubs was enjoying a hot cocoa at the station when the phone started ringing. He and Durland always stayed late on Saturday night because some kids always managed to find trouble and they would have to go give them a slap on a wrist and send them on their way.

He let out a sigh before answering the phone. To his surprise, it wasn’t a disgruntled townsperson but one of the coroners at the Valentino Funeral home.

“Sheriff Blubs speaking.”

“Oh, thank goodness you’re in tonight Sheriff. It’s Greg Valentino.”

Blubs had to go through the Valentino’s for all of his autopsy needs since there was almost no crime in the small town, the budget around that area was tight, so he was very familiar with them. Greg’s voice shook slightly so Blubs immediately knew something was wrong. He could feel it in his gut.

“What’s troubling you, Greg?”

“Well, the missus and I have a bit of a pickle on our hands. We just finished routine autopsies on three bodies from the Pine Bend Home for the Elderly and we’ve come across something rather _peculiar_.”

Blubs gripped his cup, “What did you find?”

“It’s not what we found,” Greg said nervously, “It’s what we couldn’t find. The bodies were completely intact but they were missing their hearts. The doctors that treated them said they died from heart failure and was waiting for us to confirm, but we didn’t realize exactly _how_ true it was.”

Blubs slammed his cup down, “What?! So you’re saying that they were murdered? Something ripped out their hearts?!”

“We’re not sure. Like I said, they had no lacerations or anything suggesting that the heart was cut out. It’s like they just disappeared into thin air!”

Blubs pinched the bridge of his nose and sat back in his seat, “Fax me the autopsy reports. I know a man that can help. I’ll send him over tomorrow so he can see for himself.”

Blubs hung up the phone and Durland walked into the room, carting a box of donuts in his arms. “We got trouble?” he asked while setting the donuts down on his husband’s desk.

“Yeah, possible homicide of the supernatural variety,” Blubs told his partner. “That’s never happened before. The things in that forest usually leave us alone, why would they do anything to us now?”

Durland sat in the chair and looked at his love from across the desk, “Who’s knows? Maybe it’s not something in the forest? Maybe it’s something else. We shouldn’t speculate until we have all the facts.”

“You’re right. I just get so worried about the weirdness of this town sometimes. Especially after I almost lost you all those years ago, I just-“ Blubs trailed off of his tangent. After that Weirdma-whatever happened ten years ago, he and Durland pledged to take their work more seriously, but he was still afraid of losing the man he loves.

“Shush now. You know nothing is going to tear this team apart. I’ll give that Pines kid a call in the morning and let him know we have another job him,” Durland stated, standing back up. “We should probably start paying him as a private investigator,” Blubs speculated. “After only a week of him solving our last problem, we already have to call on him again.”

Durland nodded, “Hey, that ain’t a half bad idea. If he’s interested, we could make room for him here as our official paranormal investigator when he’s done with running the Shack this summer!  Since crime is low, well lower than usual, we have some wiggle room in the budget.”

Blubs smiled at the idea, “Yeah, it won’t be a bad idea to have someone with capable hands in here to take over for us when we retire.”

“But that’s still a long time away,” Durland said with a smile. Blubs knew his partner enjoyed their work together and so did he, despite the risks.

“That’s right it is! But we’ll ask him about it once this case is solved. I don’t need him distracted from this, it’s too important,” Blubs said while reaching out to grab a donut.

“Yessir!” Durland gave him a salute before turning to leave the room. Blubs heard the fax machine start to print off several pieces of papers. He was in for a long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, this chapter was reeeeally hard to edit. It was so all over the place when I first wrote it but I can say I'm pretty satisfied with it now. Also, I'm going to be out of town from the 13th to the 21st, so I won't be updating this upcoming week. I'm going to try and finish editing at least one more chapter for you guys before I leave and will promptly resume updating on the 22nd!


	12. Animal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up, there is some serious misplaced aggression taking place in the first half this chapter.

Bill was rudely woken up by the sound of a phone ringing. When his eyes flicked open, he quickly grabbed the phone off the nightstand before Pine Tree could be disturbed and walked out of the room before answering it.

“Hello?”

“Dipper?”

“No, this is his friend William.”

“Oh, you were the guy who was with him the other day when you went into the woods, right?” Bill recognized the voice as Deputy Durland.

“That’s right. Is something wrong?”

“Yes, actually. Is Dipper available? We need him at the Valentino Funeral Home as soon as possible. Something big has happened.”

“What happened?” Bill asked, curious to what the new mystery is.

“I can’t disclose it over the phone. Look, when will Dipper be available?”

“He’s a going to be a bit, _preoccupied_ this morning. I’ll make sure he gets the message and to be there as soon as he can,” Bill informed coldly. He did not like being out of the loop.

“T-thanks,” the man said before quickly hanging up on Bill.

Bill sighed and walked into the bedroom and froze momentarily when he saw that Pine Tree wasn’t in his bed and noticed that the bathroom door was closed. Bill put Pine Tree’s phone on the dresser and went to knock on the bathroom door.

“You okay in there kid?”

No response.

“Hey, Pine Tree! How do you feel?!” Bill called out louder. He pressed his ear to the door and listened. Still nothing.

Bill jiggled the handle but naturally it was locked. He concentrated on unlocking the door magically until he heard the click and then he swung the door open.

Pine Tree was in his boxers, sitting on the ground leaning on the toilet. The kid looked pale and shaky, but other than that, he was fine. Bill let out the air he didn’t realize he was holding in his lungs until now. “Geez , kid. At least cough or something next time to let me know you’re okay,” Bill stated, leaning against the doorway.

“What does it matter to you? Hell, why does anything matter to you at all?” he spat, bitterly. Bill kept his game face on. He knew that this confrontation was coming. “Why, Pine Tree, that hurts. You know I have a deal to keep and protecting you and Shooting Star is one of the top things on the list,” he sang with a wink and a wide grin.

Pine Tree didn’t look as amused as Bill. He stood up from his spot and stepped closer to the blonde and asked a question through grit teeth, “Why are you going out of your way, though? My family hasn’t noticed for this long how far I’ve been gone, so why did _you_ of all people notice?” Pine Tree had a despaired look on his face but his voice was filled with spite.

 Bill felt the need to touch his cheek and since he was a being of pure energy and no weakness that did whatever the hell he wanted, he cupped the younger’s face in his hands, much like he did last night.

“Isn’t obvious, Pine Tree? I’m smarter than everyone. I also know the _mind_ better than _anyone._ If anyone could sense something is wrong, it would be _me,_ ” Bill stated, stroking his own ego. Though, the kid did raise a good question. Sure Fez and Fordsy were overseas and the changes are pretty subtle so of course they wouldn’t pick up on it right away, but Shooting Star? She of all people should have noticed _something_ was off kilter _._

Bill was pulled out of his thoughts when Pine Tree grabbed him by the shoulders and slammed his back against the doorframe. Bill let out a pained gasp, “What the hell, Pine Tree?”

“Don’t call me that.”

“What?”

“Don’t call me that ever again. I hate that name and I hate that _stupid_ hat.” The kid had a dangerous look in his eyes. It made Bill’s heart race. He was excited at the prospect of being attacked, but he needed to keep his cool. He needed to be an anchor for Pine Tree while he was working through his emotions.

His brain released a lot of chemicals when Bill took down the strings, so his mind was going to be in a whirlwind until his emotions ran their course.

When Bill didn’t respond, Pine Tree continued to speak, “ _You_ fucked with my head, didn’t you?”

Bill quirked an eyebrow and retorted, “Really, Pine Tree? If I wanted to screw with you, I’d be a lot more creative and destructive than tying a piece of string together.” He pushed Pine Tree back until his back hit the corner of the bathroom counter. Pine Tree let out a yelp and Bill fought back the smile that was threatening his lips. He needed to diffuse the situation.

“ _I’m_ the one who fixed you, remember?” Bill tilted his head, mockingly. “Because of that mess in your head, _you_ let me close to you and Shooting Star. If there was some big revenge scheme, shit would have already went down.”

Pine Tree’s eyes widened with realization. Several emotions flicked through them before he said, “Y-you’re right. I-I don’t know wha-“ Bill let Pine Tree go and took a step backwards. The kid was fighting _so_ hard for lucidity and needed air. Bill knew that when all you can do is _feel_ , the thought process becomes slower. That’s what Bill despised/loved about being human. The feelings. Sure, feelings could put this crushing weight on your shoulders, but they could give Bill a nice high that he couldn’t experience as demon.

“It’s okay, your mind is still trying to process your emotions and reboot from that dull personality that was programmed. Come on, let’s get you some breakfast,” Bill grabbed Pine Tree’s wrist and led him back into the bedroom, but before they could make it to the door, the kid yanked his hand away.

“No, I’m not hungry right now. I-I think I just want to lie back down. I feel sick,” Pine Tree spoke with his eyes on the ground. “You need to eat. You’ll feel calmer with a full stomach,” Bill pointed out as he went to grab Pine Tree’s wrist again.

But before he could, Pine Tree had pushed Bill onto the bed, hands were clasped around his throat, “I don’t want to feel calm! I’ve been brainwashed for who knows how many years and no one noticed! Not even my own sister! I didn’t even graduate with the degree I wanted! I _wasted_ my fucking life and I need answers! Who did this to me? WHO?!” Pine Tree yelled at Bill and even though he was having trouble breathing, he couldn’t help but smile. Pine Tree was searching for his own answers through the blind rage he was feeling. What Bill did was working and that’s all that mattered in this moment. He would deal with the regret as it came later.

Bill clasped his hands around Pine Tree’s wrists and forced him to loosen his grip, “Kid, you’re barking up the wrong tree. But don’t worry, I won’t stop until I figure out who did this and why.” Pine Tree’s crazy eyes were returning to a normal glare. Bill saw many emotions flicker around in them though. He waited for the kid to either continue trying to strangle him or to stop straddling him and fight for his senses to return.

What happened next completely through Bill for a loop.

 Pine Tree’s hands had moved to Bill’s shoulders and their lips smashed together. Bill gasped in surprise and Pine Tree’s tongue found its way into his mouth. It had an acidic taste to it that burned Bill’s throat. Bill instinctively moved his hands to Pine Tree’s hips and dug his fingers into the soft exposed skin.

Pine Tree’s lips left his and the brunet started unbuttoning the light blue shirt Bill slept in last night since he didn’t bring any clothes with him here. Bill watched Pine Tree’s face as he felt his fingers clumsily fumble with his buttons. As he looked into Pine Tree’s eyes Bill slowly started to process the full extent of what was happening here and quickly grabbed Pine Tree’s hands to stop him. He had worked too hard for the kid to let him in and he was going to make sure he didn’t do anything he wouldn’t regret right now, despite his own body’s protests. Seriously, could this body stop with the stupid human adrenaline rushes and hormones for five minutes? It was going to be the death of him.

There was a lot of lust behind Pine Tree’s eyes and when the demon let go of his hands to push him off, the kid slapped him. A small insane laugh bubbled up from inside of Bill.

 Pine Tree’s eyebrows raised in surprised and he slapped him again from the other direction. Bill laughed again, feeling tickled. He was actually enjoying this.

“Take out whatever you’re feeling on me, kid. I can handle it,” Bill challenged. The murderous look returned to Pine Tree’s eyes and Bill gasped as he clawed at the exposed skin on his chest until he bled.

He punched him until he bruised.

He bit him until he pierced the skin.

He choked him until Bill grabbed his hands to make him stop when he started seeing spots.

That’s when full cogitation returned to Pine Tree’s eyes.

Pine Tree’s eyes were full of regret when he saw the condition Bill was in. He stumbled backwards onto the floor and Bill laid on the bed, unmoving for a while. His heartbeat was in his ears and he was repressing a lot of _his own_ emotions because he was _so_ ready to attack the kid back.

“B-Bill, I-I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me I just couldn’t see anything except red,” Pine Tree tripped over his words as he tried to defend himself. Bill sat up, his muscles aching. “Do you feel better?” he asked as he wiped some of the blood from his swollen, bruised lip.

Pine Tree sighed heavily before giving his answer, “Actually, I do. I feel more in control now but there’s still a buzzing noise in my head.”

“That’s good enough for me, it seems letting all the rage out instead of bottling it up rushed the process. And don’t worry, that buzzing will fade eventually. You’re still you kid, but you’ll get to follow your own rules instead of someone else’s now,” Bill said, standing up from the bed. He held a hand out to Pine Tree who was hesitant about taking it.

“You’re not mad?”

“Course not, kid. I told you to do it. Besides, after some of the shit I’ve done I probably had it coming,” Bill gave an encouraging smile. He didn’t tell Pine Tree that he actually got a thrill from being beaten senseless like that. He was fighting back the urge to kick the kid and jump on top of him while he was on the ground, when Pine Tree finally took his hand and Bill hoisted him up with ease.

“Why don’t you clean up and I’ll whip us up some bacon and eggs? I have some questions I need to ask you,” Pine Tree chuckled.

Bill had a wide smile on his bruised face, “I bet you do, kid.” 

 

\-----------------------

Dipper inwardly cringed when Bill came back to the pool house. His face was a mess, there small cuts on his cheek from Dipper’s nails, his left cheek specifically was swollen and his lower lip was bruised. Dipper wondered how much self-control the demon actually had to let Dipper go to town on him like that without responding.

Truth be told, Dipper did not expect his emotional breakdown to go like that. In all honestly, he thought that he was going to be balled up into a corner rocking back and forth, not taking out his aggression out on the demon after a failed attempt at hate fucking. _God, I really am the worst._

But Bill helped him through his breakdown like a champ, so Dipper officially felt obligated to him. Dipper was suspicious on whether or not that was the demon’s intention or not. Sure Bill was acting pretty (extremely) affectionate, but looking at him now with a stoic look plastered on his face, Dipper still doubted his sincerity.

“Hey, you,” Dipper greeted meekly as he flipped the bacon. He had no idea out to greet Bill after the most intense emotional roller coaster ride ever. _Hell, forget roller coaster, that was more like being jerked around in a tornado. I’ll have to adopt a dog and call him Toto if this keeps up._ He was missing the confidence he had when he was brainwashed, but he definitely felt more liberated. Like he had just been numb for a really long time and could finally breathe.

“Hey, so I meant to tell you earlier, but Durland called you,” Bill informed, sitting down at the table.

“What did he want?” Dipper asked, extremely happy that he had another topic to focus on. “He wants you at the Valentino Funeral home when you get the chance, but wouldn’t tell me why,” Bill informed with a bitter tone.

“Okay, I’ll give him a call when we’re done eating. I’ll let him know that you’re working cases with Mabel and me so you won’t have to jump through hoops to get information,” Dipper offered, giving the scrambled eggs a stir before adding a slice of cheese on top.

He glanced at Bill who was smirking back at him. “Starting to trust me, Pine Tree?”

Dipper felt warmth in his cheeks. “I wouldn’t say ‘trust’ per say but our interests align. You scratched my back, so I scratch yours. As long as you don’t double cross us, you can stick with Mabel and me for as long as you need to. I hate to admit it, but you’re _actually_ helpful.”

Bill grabbed some pineapple juice from the refrigerator and two glasses. “Well, it’s about time you noticed. I _am_ the only one who has a clue around here.” Dipper suppressed a groan at the demon’s narcissism as he flipped the bacon one more time before stirring the melted cheese into the eggs.

 “I think I’ll get you a mirror for Christmas since you love yourself so much,” Dipper teased, his heart finally starting to feel a little light. “I think I’ll get you a rooster since you keep getting cock-blocked,” Bill said, equally lighthearted. Dipper tried to suppress his laugh, but it came sputtering out. He was not expecting the conversation to take that kind of turn. It was awkward as hell, but he could appreciate a good comeback.

After a moment, Dipper cleared his throat while placing the breakfast he made on two plates for him and Bill. He set one down in front of Bill before taking a seat on the barstool next to him, “I feel like there’s an elephant that needs to be addressed.”

“Why the hell are you trying to dress elephants, Pine Tree?” Bill snickered but Dipper stayed focused on the subject.

“This is serious. I’m talking about the er, geez, how do I even word this? The extreme physical-ness, if that’s even a word, that happened last night and this morning,” Dipper said as awkwardly as humanly possible. He wanted to know where he and demon stood.

“I won’t do it again if you don’t,” Bill said, plastering that indifferent look back on his face. Dipper was slowly starting to realize that Bill had that look on when he really didn’t want him to know what’s going on in his brain. _Is he disappointed or relieved that’s it’s over?_

“Oh, um, good,” Dipper said, glad that conversation was easy enough to get through.

“But,” _Oh geez here it comes_ , “Do me a solid and don’t bring it up to the geezers. It wasn’t technically against the rules since we didn’t actually have sex, but it would still be frowned upon,” Bill said with after swallowing a mouthful of eggs. How the hell was he acting so cool? Dipper’s face could have been on fire without him even realizing it at the thought of sleeping with the demon.

Sure, he had almost done it with Carla, but Bill is (was) his enemy! Sure some barriers were down and Dipper did try to hate fuck him earlier, but now that he was lucid he was extremely glad that was a line he didn’t cross. _Right_?

“Wait, what do you mean by rule?” Dipper swallowed his pride and pressed the conversation forward, despite his uncomfortableness.

“You should probably actually ask to see the contract the geezers have typed up. There are lots of different rules I have to follow, like I can’t seduce their family members, no mind games, no making deals and a bunch of other boring stuff. Though I did manage to get a few of my own terms in, like no leaving me stranded in the middle of nowhere and no making deals with other demons along with a few _other_ things,” Bill stated before ripping a piece of bacon with his teeth.

“Huh,” Dipper said thoughtfully as he started digging into his own food. Bill wasn’t going to try anything physical with him again. That’s a good thought, _isn’t it_? “You know, you never gave me a good answer on why you messed with my date last night.”

“You know what, kid? I don’t have a satisfying answer,” Bill admitted. That was strangely honest, no snarky attitude or anything. Dipper pressed his hand to Bill’s forehead, pretending to check for a fever. “Huh, you’re not burning up. No sarcasm with a side of disparagement this morning? No, ‘reproducing is a waste of time for you?’” Dipper joked before Bill swatted his hand away.

“Kid, if you want me to make fun of you, it’ll have to wait until after coffee,” Bill said. Dipper was so distracted by his swollen face that he didn’t realize that he had some dark bags under his eyes.

“Didn’t your body rest while you were in the mindscape?” Dipper asked.

“It’s a really complicated concept to explain, but to put it as simply as I can, when you’re in the mindscape, your brain stays fully functioning the entire time so you don’t exactly rest,” Bill explained, eating his last piece of bacon.

“Oh, I didn’t realize.” Another pang of guilt hit Dipper. How was he able to brush off all the things Bill was doing for him before so easily? Everything he used to feel was like a fuzzy memory. He could remember what had happened, but he couldn’t remember how he was feeling at the time. Reflecting on his actions with his new feelings, Dipper realized that he had been kind of an asshole.

Dipper moved to get the glasses and plates out of the way while Bill stared dazedly into the distance. He started an extra strong pot of coffee for him and the demon. While the coffee started its slow drip into the carafe, Dipper pulled out his phone to give Durland a call.

“Hello?”

“Durland, it’s Dipper, my friend said you called?”

“Yes, Dipper, glad to hear from you! Would you be able to do us a solid and go to the Valentino Funeral Home today? They called in a weird report last night,” Durland explained.

Dipper’s heart started to race, excited for another mystery. Zombies? Ghouls? What could it be?

“What’s the problem?”

“Well, three bodies from the Pine Bend Home for the Elderly didn’t have hearts in them.”

“T-their hearts were ripped out?” Dipper choked. Bill’s head snapped back into focus and he reminded Dipper of a dog that had its ears perked up.

“No, no. It’s more complicated than that and we’re willing to pay you this time since it’s such a serious matter. You’re the only one we can depend on for this.” Dipper swallowed before answering, “Okay, I’ll be out there within the hour.”

Dipper turned to Bill and grimly stated, “Seems like we’ve got a problem _.” I guess Mabel will have to hire some help for the Shack now._  

“That fucking witch,” Bill cursed under his breath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hooray! I was actually able to get this chapter up before I leave to go out of town! I won't be able to upload again until the 21st, but thank you again to all the people leaving comments and kudos! I love hearing what you have to say and it's giving me a lot of motivation! :D Bill and Dipper still have long way to go and I promise it's worth the wait!


	13. You Found Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woot woot! I'm back from my trip and ready to rock! There is some mild gore in this chapter but nothing too bad in my opinion.

Mabel woke up with a crushing headache. In her over-eagerness, she may have broken out the good stuff last night (Remy Martin 1738) that was left over from her graduation party back in Piedmont. That was enough to her simple movie night into a full on party and the party turned into a slumber party since the girls passed out on either the couch or in Soos and Melody’s room. Mabel made a mental note to make sure the place was spotless before she went to pick up Dipper today. She got a text from him last night saying that he was going to sleep at the pool house since it was closer to where his date was, but Mabel knew what was really going on.

Mabel’s head started buzzing and she couldn’t figure out how to make it stop. _Wait. That’s not my head._ She turned around in her bed to see her phone vibrating on the night stand and picked it up. _Ugh, this better be good, Dip Dop_. She knew that he knows how she gets when she’s hungover. _Oh, wait. He doesn’t know I drank last night_.

Mabel answered with a very gurgled, “Hello?”

“Mabel! On a scale of one to ten, how hungover are you?” Dipper’s enthusiasm was already agitating Mabel’s headache.

“Solid eight. How in the hay did you know I was hungover?” she asked, less gurgled but more fatigued.

“Bill told me you were drinking last night. He told me a lot of things last night after he apparently stole my car and came to the pool house, but that’s beside the point. Blubs and Durland have a case for us, are you up for going full on Mystery Twins today?” he asked, Mabel could hear the hopefulness in his voice and it crushed her.

She sighed, “Come on, Dipper, you know I have to-“

“No, you come on! You didn’t get to go with me at all last time, plus I have some important things I have to tell you and the Grunkles,” Dipper snapped.  Mabel was definitely more awake now. She couldn’t even remember the last time Dipper had snapped at her, let alone argue with her.

“Wow, um okay,” she said, sitting up. “I have some things I have to do this afternoon, but I’ll rush them so I can help you tonight. What’s so important, Dipper?”

Dipper was silent for a few seconds before answering, “There are three dead bodies. Their hearts are missing.”

Mabel froze.

“Dipper, I don’t want you to take this case,” Mabel firmly stated.

“Too late, Mabes. I was going to pick you up on the way to the Valentino’s, but I guess I’ll just head straight there now since you’re busy. I’ll fill you in on mine and Bill’s findings tonight,” Dipper said with the same kind of sternness Mabel just used. Mabel felt sick and she wasn’t sure if it was the hangover or the fact that Dipper was blatantly brushing her words off.  

“I’m serious Dipper, if people are dead then this is too much! I don’t want you getting hurt,” Mabel pleaded.

“Sorry Mabel, but I need to do this,” he said quietly before hanging up on her.

Something was weird. Dipper wasn’t acting like his usual self. He always took Mabel’s words into consideration before making a decision. Mabel’s head started to pound again with a familiar ache and resolved to get coffee before thinking about this anymore. There was no way she was going to get through today without coffee.

When Mabel reached the kitchen, her vision was greeted with a mess of blonde hair that wearing some of her pajamas. “Oh, Paz, you’re awake already?” Obvious answer was obvious, but Mabel was still surprised to see her up.

“Yeah. Candy and Grenda are still passed out though,” Pacifica informed Mabel as she pushed the start button on the coffee maker.

“Ugh, I love you for doing that,” Mabel said appreciatively while plopping down in a chair at the kitchen table, resting her chin in the palm of her hand.

“Well _someone_ had to. I actually wasn’t expecting you to be up for another couple of hours at least,” Pacifica snorted.

“Wasn’t planning on it, but Dipper called me,” Mabel stated wearily as she tried not to fall asleep on her hand.

“Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, yeah,” she waved it off first, but then the nerve this had been sitting on suddenly snapped. “Actually, no. He’s on a new mystery hunt and this one could be really dangerous. People have already been killed,” Mabel vented.

“W-what do you mean people have been killed? There hasn’t been a murder in Gravity Falls for at least five years and even that ended up being ruled as manslaughter!” Pacifica exclaimed, unsure of how to process this information.

“He said that there are three bodies with missing hearts,” Mabel admitted.

“Are you going to go help him? I can lock up the Shack for you after Candy and Grenda are up. You can borrow my car and I’ll catch a ride with one of them,” Paz offered.

“No, I’m not going. I have things I have to take care for my online store this afternoon. I’m going to start setting up my own real business after the summer so I don’t have time for mystery hunts anymore and I wish Dipper would understand that,” Mabel confessed. When she looked up into Pacifica’s eyes, she found that she was being frowned at.

“Are you _serious_? Mabel Pines, you are _going_ to make time to help your brother on this mystery hunt or so help me I will burn all of your stuffed animals. I mean, seriously, from what I gathered from your emails and phone calls he has given you everything! He gave up staying here in Gravity Falls for you, he went to the same college as you instead of going for Ivy League schools, he also-“

“Geez, okay,” Mabel cut her off, unable to take the guilt of having all the things her brother gave up for her shoved back into her face. But Pacifica’s words struck a chord with her and gave Mabel the incentive to get her butt back into gear and be there for her brother. He hasn’t _needed_ her for so long, that she forgot that their bond was _always_ supposed to be a give and take.

It was actually pretty ironic that just a few summers ago, Mabel was the one giving Pacifica advice on how to be a better person. This woman standing in front of her probably knew Mabel better than anyone, even better than Dipper, and was actually willing to give her the kick in the butt that she needed and Mabel appreciated the crap out of that.  

“I’ll help him but he’s probably at the funeral home by now. When I see him tonight, I’ll tell him that I’m in it with him and hundred and sixty percent!” Mabel announced. “Good,” was all the blond said before turning to pour two mugs of coffee.  

Paz was definitely right about one thing, Mabel had been selfish lately and that’s why Bill was the one going mystery hunting with her brother and she wasn’t. That by _itself_ was sounding off alarm bells in the back of her mind.

\--------------------------------

After Dipper had gotten off the phone with Mabel, he and Bill headed to the Valentino’s Funeral Home. He was frustrated with Mabel, but he also understood that she was busy, though he felt a little hurt that she couldn’t make some time for him, but he did know that she was under a lot of pressure.

His thoughts on the subject were starting to collide into an endless back and forth so Dipper took a deep breath to clear his mind but that didn’t help for long. Soon his thoughts were plagued by millions of messy thoughts.

_Who brainwashed me?_

_Why?_

_Where are Night Ravens native?_

_What defines a Raven Mocker, specifically?_

_Did I forget to feed Waddles? No, Bill fed him, we’re good._

_Why didn’t Mabel notice that I had changed overnight?_

_What if I didn’t change overnight?_

_What if it was a slow process and that’s why I have holes in my memories?_

_Did I_ really _just try to hate fuck Bill this morning?_

_What the hell is wrong with me?_

_Does that mean I’m bi? I see Bill as just Bill but technically he’s a man._

_I never toyed with the idea of sleeping with a guy before._

_Is it because I’ve never been hit on by a guy?_

_All my past relationships_ were _initiated by other people, so probably?_

_Though Bill’s not a guy, he’s a demon and he wasn’t really hitting on me last night._

_It was just a kiss._

“Kid, I can see the smoke coming out of your ears from here. Breathe.”

Dipper took a deep breath as he was instructed and concentrated on the road. “Sorry, it’s just that I still have a lot questions but they’ll have to wait until after we check out the funeral home,” Dipper stated vaguely, not really willing to let the demon know the last few questions that went through his mind.

Though, he was thankful for Bill being there this morning. It was like someone cranked his emotional volume knob all the way up to ten! If Bill didn’t let him beat the shit out of him, giving him one specific thing to focus on, then Dipper would have spiraled into something he wouldn’t be able to come back from. That darkness he was feeling earlier scared him and he never wanted to feel that way again.

“Well, don’t stress out about it too much. I promise to help you work through this later,” Bill assured.

Dipper nodded appreciatively as he put the car in park.

“Before we get out, I need to tell you something,” Bill said, grabbing Dipper’s arm to stop him from getting out of the car.

Dipper immediately halted and turned his attention to the demon, his heart started to race. “What?”

Bill looked him in the eyes as he spoke, “I _may_ have done _a thing_.”

“What _thing_ , Bill?” Dipper asked impatiently through grit teeth. This sounded bad. _Real bad._

“I’m kind of using your brain as a beacon to get the attention of the demon that brainwashed you,” Bill confessed.

Dipper felt the tension fall off his shoulders. He had no idea what he was expecting, but being used as bait for the demon that brainwashed him was actually acceptable since he wanted answers too. “Oh, that’s fine. Maybe we can figure out why the hell I was targeted in the first place.”

“That’s the idea, kid. I figured you wouldn’t mind and I know you’re not an idiot, but watch your back,” Bill warned before letting him go and getting out of the car.

The two men walked up the familiar grey building and knocked on the front door. They were greeted by a middle aged man wearing a brown sweater, glasses, and had streaks of grey in his hair.

“Dipper Pines! I’ve been expecting you! Please, come in,” Greg greeted cheerfully.

“Thanks Mr. Valentino. This is my friend, William. He’s here to help too.” Dipper gestured to Bill who held out his hand to the overly cheerful man. “Please, call me Greg.”

“Pleasure is mine, Greg,” Bill stated, sounding completely normal as they shook hands. “Oh my, what happened to you, you poor boy?” Greg asked after observing Bill’s bruised face.

Bill’s eyes flicked briefly to Dipper’s before he responded, “Ran into a tree.” Dipper fought hard to repress a snort.

That answer seemed to satisfy Greg, thankfully. “Just be careful, wouldn’t want you to end up here, now would we?” he replied, a little too cheerfully.

“So what seems to be the problem?” Dipper cut in, trying to get to the point.

Greg hesitated for a moment before letting out a heavy sigh, “You see boys, Janice and I were working late last night on three bodies from Pine Bend Home for the Elderly. We were told that all three of them died of heart failure and we were asked to confirm it,” Dipper nodded for him to continue as he wrote things down in his notebook he managed to whip out on a moment’s notice.

“When we cut into their bodies, we realized that their hearts were missing. There were no signs of any wounds that would suggest it being ripped or cut out,” Greg elaborated.

Dipper’s breath hitched. “So they just vanished into thin air?”

He heard Bill mutter a curse under his breath, but kept his attention on Greg.

“That’s the way it seems. In all my life I have never encountered something like this before. I mean, we have the occasional zombie, but that’s it. ”

“May we see the bodies?” Bill interjected. Dipper looked at him for a moment before agreeing, “Yeah, and can we also see your autopsy report?”

“Of course you can, boys! After Durland told me you were on the way, I prepped one for you to see,” Greg gestured for them to follow. When they reached the morgue, Dipper took in a shaky breath. He had never seen a non-reanimated dead body before, so this was a first.

Greg swung the door open casually. The morgue actually looked a little more cheerful and homey than he expected. There were serene paintings and little knick knacks scattered around that made this room seem gentle. In the center of the room though, there was sterile table with a dead body, a long cut on its chest, waiting for them. Dipper’s gut was not agreeing with him at the moment as he felt a wave of nausea wash over him.

“Here are a couple of masks,” Greg said handing them each their own surgical mask, “Sinks over there. Wash your hands and put on some gloves and I’ll show you what I mean.” Dipper realized that while he was busy swallowing his breakfast back down, Greg had already suited up for what they were about to do.

After he and Bill finished doing what they were instructed, they stood awkwardly by the body. “Since all three of them are exactly the same, I’m only going to show you this one unless you absolutely need to see the others since I’ve already stitched them up,” Greg explained. Dipper nodded in agreement. One body was definitely enough for him. But Bill narrowed his eyes. “We’ll see. It depends on this body’s condition.”

Greg nodded understandably and removed the sheet. He peeled some of the skin back off the chest where the incisions were made. The ribcage had already been removed so they could see into the chest cavity better. Looking into a dead body was worse than he imagined. It was red and mushy and it caused Dipper to be hit with another pang of nausea but he held it down. This was too important for him to botch because he was feeling sick.

“Ah, I see. So the skin on top was completely intact, but you can clearly see where it was carved out by the marks here,” Bill squinted as he pointed to some scratches on the inside of the chest where the heart was supposed to be with a gloved hand.

“Good eye, William. As you can see, it’s quite the conundrum. Any thoughts, Dipper?” Greg asked.

“Hmm, I can only speculate right now but having a visual definitely helps.” He peered closer at the scratches and studied the markings. He could feel Bill’s gaze on him though as he processed what he was seeing.

“Those aren’t just scratches, those are sigils. The heart did disappear into thin air!” Dipper announced. “Can I take a photo of the markings?” Dipper asked as he reached for his phone.

“Sure, but don’t use your phone. I have a high grade camera for instances like these.” Greg rustled around in a drawer for a moment before pulling out a hefty sized digital camera. He passed it to Dipper, who took photos from every angle until he was satisfied.

“Thank you,” Dipper said, passing the camera back to Greg.

“No problem. Just leave me your email address and I’ll send them to you as soon as they’re uploaded, along with a copy of the autopsy report.”

Dipper nodded in appreciation as he stepped away from the body and took off his mask, his control of his queasiness was fading fast and if didn’t get away from the body soon, there was no stopping his breakfast from coming back up. “If you find anything else, please let us know right away. I’ll leave my phone number for you too.”

“Sounds good,” Greg said before whistling a jaunty tune as he prepared to finish whatever the hell he was doing to the body. Dipper was partially curious, but knew he his limitations and he had to leave. Now.

Dipper quickly scribbled his contact info on a piece of his notebook paper and set it on one of the counter tops. He put on his best smile and tried to sound like his insides weren’t twisting, “We’ll be going now, unless there was anything else you wanted to show us?”

“No, boys, I think that covers it. Thanks for taking the time to stop by. Let me know if there is anything else I can do to help,” Greg offered sincerely.

“Will do,” Dipper said quickly, trying not to talk much as he felt a familiar tickle in the back of his throat. He felt a hand on his shoulder leading him out of the morgue and heard Bill’s voice say, “By Greg! We’ll be in touch!”

When Dipper was finally outside he took in as much fresh air as he could as he crouched on the ground and held his head between his legs for a moment, trying his best not to puke. He breathed a sigh of relief when his stomach stopped doing flips.

He felt a hand ruffle his hair, “You did good in there, kid.”

Dipper swatted the hand away and looked up to see Bill smirking over him. “Don’t patronize me,” Dipper huffed before getting back on his feet.

“But I mean it Pine Tree, you recognized there were sigils. My eyes are still damaged from when my contacts melted yesterday so I couldn’t see them properly. I’ll need to get a better look, but I have a really good guess on what they are,” Bill stated bitterly.  Dipper looked up into Bill’s eyes feeling thankful that he bought more than one pair of contacts because he _did_ _not_ feel up for another mall trip.

“What are they?”

“The Raven Mocker’s mark. Apparently the dumb bitch can’t take a hint.” Bill didn’t even try to conceal the anger in his voice.

“So there really was a witch?” The question was out of Dipper’s mouth before he could stop it. 

“Of course, dumbass! Why would I lie about that?” Bill asked, his tone still extremely harsh.

“Well sorry for not being trusting, but you know damn well I have good reason. Let’s just stay focused, okay? How do we defeat it?”

Bill calmed down, but kept a scowl on his face. “Well, we kill her of course. My magic should negate anything she can throw at us, though all she really has is that stupid enchanted knife.”

“We can’t just murder her-“

“Yes you can. Because she almost murdered you. Because she won’t stop killing people until we stop her. She eats the hearts to gain people’s remaining life force. She’s not a person Pine Tree, she’s a monster and I know you have no problem killing monsters,” Bill flatly pointed out.

Dipper gulped. He wasn’t aware of what happened while the witch was alone with him in the room, but now that he knew what could have happened, he felt grateful and guilty at the same time. If he had been taken instead, then these three people would have lived a little longer. Also, if he was never brainwashed he would have looked for her sooner and possibly could have prevented this. That’s what was _really_ killing Dipper.

Dipper spared a glance at Bill, who was looming over him. “I want to talk it over with Mabel before we make any decisions,” he stated firmly. “But we need to find her motivation for staying in Gravity Falls. I know this place draws the supernatural here like a moth to a flame, but if she’s just after immortality via stealing someone else’s life force, there must be more convenient places for her to be than this sleepy town.”

“On the nose, kid. First and foremost we need to find her hiding place,” Bill stated.

 Dipper whipped out his cell phone as he headed to the car. “I’ll call Blubs and see if I can get a map with all the locations of Night Raven’s victims and see if they’re centered around any particular area.”

“Great idea, Pine Tree. I’ll ask Sixer to keep an ear out for someone of her description. We also _need_ get him and Fez together with Shooting Star _tonight_ to tell them about what happened with your noggin,” Bill said, pulling out his phone as he crawled into the passenger seat of the car.

Dipper nodded. Bill had talked Dipper into telling his family as soon as possible about the brainwashing instead of waiting until after this case, which was probably for the best.  

“Oh, and see if he wouldn’t mind printing out the files for me since my printer is still boxed up. I’ll forward him the email later.” Bill nodded as he hit the call button.

Dipper started the car as he hit the call button on his phone as well, his heart pumping with excitement. He realized how much he missed the mysteries. This is who he wanted to be. An adventurer and a researcher. He wanted to experience life, not just read about it. As the phone rang, he spared one more glance at Bill, who was discussing the case with his Great Uncle.

 He had this insane, ridiculous, blonde demon to thank for reigniting his passion. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I had *borrowed* my boyfriend's laptop to work on this story while I was out of town and accidentally corrupted this chapter and the next one so I had to rewrite it from my older drafts. I think I worked everything out to be consistent with how the story turned out, but feel free to let me know if there's something that needs to be edited here!


	14. Fake It

Mabel was sitting down next to her Grunkle Ford and Grunkle Stan in the pool house. Pacifica had dropped her off so she could get some work done since Bill had stolen Dipper’s car last night. She was actually planning on going car shopping tomorrow with the blonde so she wouldn’t have to worry about something like this happening again. She wouldn’t be able to afford anything too fancy, but maybe she could find something with good gas mileage like a Prius. 

Mabel and Stan chit-chatted about the proper procedures for filling out the paperwork for starting your own business and some prime real estate spots for what she had in mind that he had spotted around town. She was unbelievably grateful to have Grunkle Stan and Ford in her life. 

She spared a glance at Ford who was flipping through a manila folder at some papers he said he had to give to Dipper. Surprisingly enough, in her teen years Ford had been her rock. He had gotten her through some dark times during high school with his weird advice and helped her with things she didn’t know how to handle. Even though they could only contact each other through email, he was still there for her when she needed it most.

Everyone’s heads turned to the front door when Bill and Dipper came in laughing. Mabel’s heart started to race when she saw that Bill looked pretty beat up but when she saw that Dipper was unscathed, she breathed out all the air she had inadvertently sucked in. 

“What’s so funny, kids?” Stan inquired with a quirked eyebrow. 

Dipper huffed between laughs, “Well there was-” He was trying too hard to breath and lost his words.

Bill tried to help. “And that-” he started, but failed to complete his sentence in the laughter. 

“You had to see it for yourself.” There were tears in Dippers eyes from laughing so hard. They looked sweaty and their clothes were covered in dirt. They probably scoped out the woods today.

Mabel couldn’t help but to feel left out so she walked up to her brother and began pulling him to the loveseat while cheerfully saying, “C’mon Dip Dop! You said you had news for us!”

Dipper’s face immediately dropped, “Yeah, I guess I do.” Her brother kept stealing glances at Bill who took a seat next to her Grunkles as they sat next to each other on the loveseat. 

An awkward silence loomed over them and this caused Mabel’s worry meter to jump to an extreme height. 

“So, the other day, um, Bill and I, uh-” Dipper started awkwardly. 

“Pine Tree had been under the influence of another demon,” Bill had stated as if he was talking about the weather. Mabel and Ford locked eyes for a moment before she looked at her Grunkle Stan. 

“WHAT?” Stan suddenly yelled, standing up from his seat. “What do you mean under the influence of another demon?!” 

“Bill and I kind of-” 

“Dipper, be quiet. Bill. Explain. Now.” Ford stated a little too harshly. Ford’s anger seemed to rattle Bill for an extremely brief second before he replaced it with a placid look. Mabel wasn’t sure how Bill was able to do that. Hell, Ford’s voice even caused Mabel to stop herself from interjecting. 

“It’s exactly as I said. I could just feel that something was off about Pine Tree since day one so I did a little digging to make sure I was right, but I did everything with his express permission,” Bill informed. Mabel didn’t miss the glance Bill shot Dipper so Mabel turned to her brother to confirm. 

“Is it true Dipper? He didn’t invade your mind at all without your permission?” 

He dodged her eyes briefly before looking back at her, “It’s true. We talked everything out before he even got to look in my head.” _Liar_. Mabel bit her lip and looked at Ford and Stan.

Unlike Dipper, she had actually perused through the contract they had typed up for Bill. She didn’t want to call Dipper out, but if Bill had broken the contract it was serious business. She would have to get him to confess when they were alone which means she would have to get Dipper _away_ from Bill who has been keeping himself glued to Dipper’s hip these past couple of weeks.  

“Okay, we want you to tell us exactly what happened,” Stan said, seeming calmer now as he took his seat again. 

Bill and Dipper’s story was a little messy. It started with Bill coming to the pool house last night after Carla dropped Dipper off (Mabel was going to have to ask him how his date went later) and cut to Bill asking to go into his mindscape to see if there was something wrong, then Dipper asking Bill to fix it, and ended with Dipper waking up recovered when he got the call from Durland. 

Mabel felt like there was a huge chunk of the story missing and narrowed her eyes suspiciously, “So, Bill did absolutely nothing that made you uncomfortable or did anything to your mind without permission?” 

Dipper’s face was getting red as he avoided eye contact, “That’s the whole story Mabes, just _trust_ me.” 

Mabel sighed, not really believing him and didn’t understand why he was defending Bill but she wanted to believe that her brother had the situation controlled. “Okay, I’ll trust you.” 

“Bill, that’s thin ice you’re treading on. I can appreciate what you did for Dipper but that’s-” Ford started, but Dipper cut him off. 

“Guys, you know it was Bill who organized this right? He wanted to tell you guys what happened right away instead of pushing it off until later like I actually intended to do,” Dipper defended. 

“You weren’t going to tell us?” Stan injected in his ‘I’m going to sound mad but that actually kind of hurt my feelings’ voice. Even after all these years, Mabel could still ready Grunkle Stan like a book.

“I was planning on waiting until we were done with this whole Raven Mocker mess. People are dying,” Dipper pleaded. Mabel’s heart ached for him. She understood that her brother means well, but he could be an airhead about things like this sometimes. 

“Speaking of which, I got the photos and reports from the autopsy you guys went to. This is pretty dangerous stuff,” Ford said, handing the folder he was looking through to Dipper. 

“Yeah, but someone has to stop it,” Dipper said with a smile. It was a different kind of smile than the one she had gotten used to over the years.

“But does that mean _you_ have to?” Mabel said so quietly that the only one who turned their head to lock eyes with her was Bill. 

“Sorry, what was that Shooting Star? I don’t think Pine Tree heard you.” Bill was calling her out. Mabel shrunk for a moment when all eyes were on her but stood up vigorously to say, no, actually yell how she felt. “Dipper this is too dangerous. We’ve never had to actually deal with people dying and not to mention how insane it is to even consider, let alone actually let Bill back into your head! And you two!” She pointed to Stan and locked eyes with Ford before she continued her tirade. “You two are just letting this slide by! Don’t you care about Dipper’s safety?!” 

Bill looked at her with narrowed eyes while the Pines men stared at her in shock. She could feel her face turn red. She was getting too emotional over this. “I-I’ve got to go,” she stormed out of the room before anyone could stop her. 

Damn it, she was supposed to make up with Dipper and be on his side, not blow up like that. But she needed to make sure no one found out what she was hiding and if Bill was poking around in Dipper’s mindscape, he might discover her secret and she couldn’t take the thought of Dipper hating her if they found out. The guilt and fear of it all was overwhelming.

\-----------------------------

After a moment of being dumbfounded, Dipper was up and ready to bolt after his twin when he felt a hand on his shoulder, pulling him backwards. “What the hell?” he snapped. 

“I’ll talk to her,” Ford said, gruffly, as he passed by Dipper. He watched speechless as Ford rushed outside, tailing after his sister. He would have pictured Stan being the one who went after her. He glanced back at his other Grunkle who was standing behind him now, “Relax, kid. She just worries. It’s understandable, you know?” 

“Yeah, it’s just we used to talk about everything instead of blowing up like that,” Dipper dejectedly said. Stan gave him a firm pat on the back. “Buck up, kid. You’re grown-ups now so you need to learn to give a person some space when they need to cool off. Once _both_ of you calm down, you can talk it out.” 

Dipper gave his uncle a weak smile, “Yeah, you’re right. I’ll give her some space.” Dipper felt guilty because he was giving her a hard time this morning, but he’s been feeling like he wasn’t a big part of her life anymore since she started her online business. It was easier to brush off when he wasn’t in the right headspace and had school and finals to blame it on, but now it was _painfully_ obvious that they had actually grown somewhat apart. They used to put each other first. Always. When they first got back to Gravity Falls it felt like old times, but this past week proved that they still had a ways to go.  

Dipper resolved to do something to make Mabel feel better. He couldn’t blame it all on Mabel, Dipper had been preoccupied too, but he would always, _always_ drop what he was doing when Mabel called and he always thought that she would do the same when he finally asked her to do this with him. But he knew she was stressed out and-

Bill punched Dipper’s shoulder a little too hard, causing him to wince before saying, “Relax kid, she’ll come around.” Dipper looked at the demon and gave a small smile while rubbing the spot that Bill punched. He was grateful because he was getting caught in an endless loop of though again. There was no winning in his mind right now so Dipper decided to focus on what was around him.

“So, how mad do you think Sixer is at me?” Bill asked Stan. Dipper didn’t miss the worried look that flashed across Bill’s face briefly.

Stan just ruffled Bill’s hair, “I’m sure he’s not mad, he just wants to be careful.”

Dipper thought he saw Bill let out a small sigh of relief and decided to mess with him a little. “If I didn’t know any better, I would think you actually care what these old farts think.”

Bill was a little too quick to deny, “No, it would just be _inconvenient_ if they hated me.”

Stan smacked Bill on the arm before playfully replying, “I’m sure it would.”

Dipper and Stan shared a small laugh at Bill’s expense when he turned red when they heard the pool house door open. Mabel and Ford came back inside and Mabel ran and smacked into Dipper, wrapping her arms around his sides.

“Bro-bro! I’m sorry for freaking out, can we just go talk alone for a minute?” Mabel said a little too fast as she looked up at him with pleading eyes and Dipper’s heart melted. He passed the folder he was holding off to Bill before crushing her in a hug, “Of course, sis. Let’s talk.” She pulled away from him and linked her arm through his as she led him outside into the trees that they had the water gun fight in.

They found a small clearing where Mabel laid down in the grass and patted for her brother to join her, which he did.

“It feels like it’s been forever since we’ve looked at the sky together, hasn’t it?” she said, gesturing to the clouds.  It was in that moment that Dipper had realized that Bill had really been taking up all of his time and this is the first time this week that they had been able to be alone together.  

“Yeah. Hey, I was thinking. After this Raven Mocker mess blows over, we should go do something fun. Have a twin day, just the two of us?” Dipper offered, staring into the sky. Mabel nodded and they were both quiet for a few moments. Ultimately it was Mabel that broke the silence.

“So, Bill went into your mind, huh?”

“Yeah, he showed me what was wrong and it was a mess. I feel more liberated now, but I wish I could get the memories that are missing back,” Dipper said, venting to his sister.

“Maybe they’re gone for a reason and you’re better off without them?” his sister whispered.

He sat up so he could turn to look at her, “What do you mean?”

“I’m just saying that if another demon messed with your mind and just erased some memories, maybe you got off easy?” Mabel declared, while sitting up as well, pulling her knees to her chest.

“Mabel, he did more than erase a couple of memories. He literally twisted my personality to do always do what other people expected of me. I’ve been numb for so long without even realizing it! Even _you_ didn’t notice,” Dipper winced at the sound of disappointment in his voice.

Mabel had a pained look on her face as she replied, “I’m sorry, Dipper. I did noticed there was something different, but you looked more happy and was finally being social and I just- I just hoped that the reason was because you got over your awkward stage. You were making friends and I was so happy for you.” She began to sob into her knees and Dipper draped an arm over her shoulder, pulling her so she was leaning on his side while she cried.

“It’s okay, Mabel. I’m not mad or anything. It’s no one’s fault but the demon that did this,” Dipper thought these words would comfort his sister, but she just sobbed harder. It was confusing, but Dipper just held her a little tighter until she calmed down. She pulled her face from her knees and used the sleeve of her sweater to wipe the tears and mucus that stained her face away.

“Dipper,” she started, her voice a little raw from sobbing, “I’m sorry. I know you were upset with me for not being there for you this morning, but I’m going to be there for you now. We’ll be the Mystery Twins, we’ll have adventures like in the good ol’ days.”

“I wasn’t really upset,” Dipper lied, “I just wanted to spend time with you. I know you got a lot on your plate and if it’s too much for you, I totally understand if you want to concentrate on your business. That’s your future.” That part wasn’t a lie. Grunkle Stan was right about them being grown-ups now and that means letting Mabel live her life the way she wants.

“It could be yours too, silly. I wouldn’t mind letting you in on my big plan. Full partners all the way, 50/50 split,” Mabel nudged.

Dipper chuckled, “Thanks, but I’ll keep that in my back pocket for the time being. I need to take some time to figure out what I want to do for myself.”

Mabel nodded understandingly, “The offer doesn’t have an expiration date, so take all the time you need, bro-bro.”

Dipper nodded appreciatively before looking at the sky, where the orange and blue hues were starting to mix. He was really glad he was able to have this talk with Mabel.  

\--------------------

Mabel and Dipper spent a good half hour staring at the different colors in the sky, just talking and it felt great. Dipper informed her of the case fully and she felt relieved that they wouldn’t be in any immediate danger since the witch only targeted people who were already dying. And who knows? Maybe they could convince her to turn away from killing people and try aromatherapy or something?

“So it sounds like if we get the knife away from her, she’ll lose her power? I think if we take her power she should be rendered harmless,” Mabel suggested.

“Good idea. I’ll talk to Bill to see if that would work. I really don’t want blood on our hands so we’ll have to handle this delicately,” Dip Dop, commented. He let out a sigh and started standing up, “We should head back. I want to look at the report Grunkle Ford printed for me.”

Mabel nodded, ready to bounce to her feet when something in the back of her mind was telling her to stay put. _Alone_.

When Mabel sat back down on the grass, her brother shot her a curious look. “Leg fell asleep?”

“No, I think I want a little more fresh air. Why don’t you go tell everyone we made up? I’ll be there soon,” Mabel assured, waving Dipper off. “You sure? I don’t mind hanging out for a little while longer.”

“Yeah, I’m sure,” she smiled her best smile at him and that seemed to do the trick. He turned and walked away slowly, as if waiting for her to change her mind before finally disappearing from view.

The second he was gone, Mabel heard a rustling from the bushes in front of her and she immediately got to her feet, prepared to run away when a man materialized from the brush. He had dark red hair that was smoothed back, extremely sharp features and a skinny face. He was of medium height, barely taller than Mabel and wore a very nice, dark suit thrown off course with a tacky, bright blue tie. His red eyes are what really gave him away, though.

“Long time no see, Mabel.”

Mabel could have been covered in bugs and wouldn’t have noticed because the sound of that voice made her skin crawl. She narrowed her eyes and spoke as harshly as she could.

“What do you want, Hector?”

\------------------------------

Bill watched as Pine Tree left to be alone with Shooting Star. His legs instinctively wanted to follow but he stopped himself. Pine Tree was on his side now, so there was no need to act so attached to him. Right? His plan worked and he has Pine Tree’s blessing to stay with him as long as necessary so why were Bill’s stupid human legs trying to follow him?

Bill glanced up at Sixer as he approached him shortly after the twins stepped out. Bill flipped through the folder, trying to look disinterested when Sixer put a hand on his shoulder. “I think we should talk.”

Bill’s human mouth was drying up, so he swallowed as he closed the folder to set it on the coffee table. “What’s eating you, Sixer?” Bill asked, with his usual snarky attitude.

“You really overstepped a boundary going into Dipper’s mind like that. You should have talked it over with us so we could have discussed it as a family,” Sixer said, firmly.

“Well, the thing is about that particular kind of brainwashing made Pine Tree extremely open to suggestion, so whatever _you guys_ decided for him, he would have done. I _made_ sure he had a choice,” Bill defended.

 Fez looked at Sixer, “Look, he did a good thing. Dipper even said so himself.”

Sixer had a look of mixed feelings on his face and it made Bill’s stupid human heart beat a little faster. _What is this? Nervousness?_ After everything that had happened, in human terms, Sixer would be considered his best friend. _Friend_ is still a _relative_ term, but they had a history. Sure, Bill had hurt him by using him for his own gains without telling him his true goals _but_  in return he offered immortality and an invitation to his party and he _hurt_ Bill with his refusal so Bill had no choice but to turn him into a statue. But hey, bygones.

“Fine, but next time something like this comes up, let us know in advance,” was all Sixer said before turning to head back to the main house. Fez watched him leave and looked at Bill for a moment, “You coming back to the main house tonight?”

The demon shook his head, “No, I’ll crash in the spare bedroom here, tonight. I need to go over this folder with Pine Tree anyway.”

Fez nodded approvingly and Bill let out a breath. He didn’t realize how stressful it was maintaining and _actually_ having to care what other people thought of you. Everything felt easier when it was just the three of them overseas because ever since having their _precious_ _family_ involved with Bill kept the old geezers on their toes a little more than usual. But still, Bill wouldn’t change coming back to Gravity Falls for anything.

Bill plopped down on the sofa, grabbing the folder that Sixer had printed out for them. The first thing he looked at was the symbols. Bill grabbed the pen and notepad Shooting Star kept on the coffee table. She actually kept papers and pens in random places all over the pool house and Shack. Something about inspiration striking at any time, or some nonsense like that.

Now that Bill could clearly see the sigils, he made a note for Pine Tree to read later about how they were for keeping the heart beating during the ritual. It was a pretty interesting process. She keeps the victims alive as she eats the hearts so she can gain the remaining life force _. Ha, that sounds pretty fun. Shame I have to end her, I’m really curious to see if she forces the victim to watch while she does it._

Bill flipped past the autopsy report. He already saw what he needed to see with the body today so he didn’t need to see what kind of crap a human had to say about it. He flipped to the map that Blubs sent them. The victims were scattered all over the place, but there were two particular ideal clearings that her hide out could be. Raven Mockers didn’t really associate with humans unless they needed to feed and even then they liked to be close to nature, particularly trees so he made sure to darken the smaller clearing as the place they needed to check first.

Bill had begun humming a tune when he heard the door open and close. He looked up when he heard someone plop down on the loveseat.

“So how’d it go, Pine Tree?”

Pine Tree had a content look on his face as he spoke, “It actually went really well. Mabel and I made up and she’s completely on board with helping us with this mystery.”

“Glad to hear it,” Bill said genuinely. Now that he and Pine Tree were getting along, he should be able to move onto the next step of his plan and gain Shooting Star’s trust. Bill tilted his head to the side when he realized that he wasn’t actually happy with that. He was actually having fun with just him and Pine Tree running around but winning Shooting Star’s good graces would work out for him in the long run.

Before Bill could contemplate the subject any further, a scream, a particular, a Shooting Star’s scream got his and Pine Tree’s attention. Bill tossed the folder aside as he and Pine Tree bolted for the door.

Pine Tree tried to keep up, but Bill was faster. He was more athletic after years of mystery hunting with the geezers while Pine Tree did normal human things so it was only natural that the demon’s human body could outrun him.

When he found Shooting Star, she was standing in a clearing with her back turned to him, shoulders shaking slightly. “Star, what’s wrong?” Bill went to grab her shoulder but was greeted by something being thrown into his eyes. He took a few steps backwards. He was getting lightheaded and he couldn’t open his eyes no matter how hard he rubbed at them.

“Ah, fucking hell, Shooting Star! What the fuck did you do?” Bill yelled angrily before his knees gave out. He could feel his human brain shutting down. _Sleeping powder? No something stronger than that._

And suddenly, Bill’s world went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this chapter had a lot going on! But this is the last chapter that got corrupted so I hope I was able to edit the original draft up to the standards I've been trying to keep. But now the ball is rolling and the next chapter isn't from the original draft so the storytelling should be a lot less messy. :D   
> *Imagine's Mabel as Dale Gribble* Pocket sand!


	15. Damn Rough Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is some gore and depictions of death in this chapter. Proceed with caution.

When Dipper finally caught up to Bill in the clearing, his ears were greeted with the sound of Bill cursing as he caught sight of the demon dropping to the ground.

 Mabel’s eyes grew wide when she saw Dipper and she tackled her brother to the ground. They landed with a thud and Mabel used her weight to hold him down. Dipper looked over her shoulder in a panic as someone in a long, black, hooded robe stepped out of the bushes. She wore a very tribal looking bird mask as she approached Bill, who was officially unconscious.

Dipper struggled against his sister’s weight, but she clung to him tightly and fought to keep him on the ground. “Dipper, she’s not going to hurt us. She’s just going to take Bill away,” Mabel said, desperation dripping from her voice while she looked at him with pleading eyes. Before Dipper could even react, the figure lifted the unconscious demon by the hair and said, “I’m ready.”

With a flash of light, she and Bill disappeared before his eyes.

“Mabel! What the hell did you do?” Dipper asked angrily as he pushed his sister off of him.

“I saved you and got rid of Bill! A demon came and said that if I didn’t give Bill up, that he was going to kill you!” Mabel defended herself as she looked at Dipper with her big brown eyes but he was still furious. “That was the Raven Mocker, Mabel! She’s already murdered three people in town and you just gave her Bill!”

Gears began turning and clicking into place inside of Dipper’s mind and comprehension washed over him. “Oh my god... If she keeps her immortality by eating the hearts of the dying, imagine what she would gain from eating Bill’s heart!”

“I’m sorry! I was just trying to protect you!” She argued.

“Mabel, we’re supposed to be team! That wasn’t just your decision to make, I could have protected myself,” Dipper yelled back as he got on his feet to leave. He didn’t have time for this. “Dipper, where are you going?”

“I’m going to find Bill. If the Raven Mocker eats his heart, it’s all over. She’s probably wants his powers,” Dipper spat, half informing his sister, half thinking out loud. There was no way he could allow this to happen.  

“I’m coming with you! It’s going to be dark soon and-”

“No! _You_ are going to go to the main house and tell Ford and Stan what just happened so they know where I’m going. If I’m not back by morning, I want you guys to be able to look for us,” Dipper gave her this menial task because he was honestly feeling a little betrayed. He couldn’t trust her to not stop him from saving Bill.   

Dipper ignored his sister calling out to him as he stormed into the pool house, grabbing supplies for the trip such as a flashlight, a couple bottles of water, and a sleeping bag just in case.

_Don’t forget the folder, kid. I left a lot of useful stuff in there._

“B-bill?” Dipper looked around for a moment, searching for the voice.

_I’m unconscious so I went into your mindscape. Hope you don’t mind, but I figured I could get away with it since this is a desperate situation. I can kind of see what you see, so I’ll guide you. We don’t have a lot of time._

Dipper nodded, determined to stop the witch from gaining Bill’s powers.

_Also, just a recommendation, but I’d grab a lighter and some of Shooting Star’s hairspray._

A sudden thought hit Dipper as he went into his sister’s bathroom to snag the hairspray and one of her candle lighters. “How are you in my head? I thought we needed a spell for that?”

_It’s amazing what you can do if you just try hard and believe in yourself._ Dipper could practically see the eye roll that came with that sarcastic comment. What could he say? The demon’s last words in this world would probably be laced with sarcasm.  

_Who, me? Neeeever._

Dipper chose to ignore him that time as he grabbed the folder off the coffee table.

Dipper checked his pocket for his keys before he pulled on his backpack, adjusted his hat and began heading to the car.

\-------------------------

Mabel stared in shock as Dipper left her behind. She was desperately fighting back tears of guilt when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She recoiled away from the hand and yelled, “Don’t touch me!”

She turned to the man she had just hurt her brother and possibly evoked the wrath of a powerful demon for, “He’s mad at me, and it’s your fault, Hector!”

“But you held up your part of the deal with such grace and pragmatism, that I’m willing the fix that for you, free of charge!” Hector said with a disturbing grin.

“But why did you want Bill out of the way? You never even mentioned his existence when we first met,” Mabel questioned. If she could get some answers, she could do something to get out of the corner she found herself backed into.

“Let’s just say that he, _disappointed_ me and the gang and you know us demons get. This was a _long time_ coming,” he said intimidatingly. Mabel knew that there had to be more to it than that but he disappeared right from in front of her eyes before she could event try to get more information out of him.

Mabel punched a tree trunk and let out a frustrated scream. If Dipper knew the full extent of the truth, he would never talk to her again.

But... She was going to have to tell him, especially now. She hated Hector and she had thought he was out of their lives for good but she was wrong.  She just made up with her brother and found her resolve to be part of the Mystery Twins again and _he_ had to step in and mess it up.

 If she could convince Bill to help her after what she just did, maybe she could be rid of this demon that’s been on her back for so long.  And that’s only if Dipper got to him in time to save him.

\----------------------------

Dipper had parked at the entrance of the campground since it was close to the center of the forest. Bill’s voice led him through the shortcuts that he could take but Dipper stopped when his voice suddenly left his mind. Dipper’s heart pounded hard in his chest as he pulled out the map Bill had marked for him and fumbled with the flashlight.

After taking a moment to gather his bearings, he quickly pressed forward into the forest. He knew he had to be running off of adrenaline alone as he jogged through the forest. He could feel every ache in his muscles, he had that familiar pain in his side, and his breath was getting shorter. The sun was almost completely set and it was getting harder and harder to see each minute so he didn’t have time to stop and rest.

Dipper felt a mixture of panic and relief when he stumbled onto the most random looking cabin in a clearing.

 It wasn’t exactly a hovel, but it was poorly built like it wasn’t meant to be permanent. There were wind chimes made from bones, dead animal skins were hanging to dry in the wind, and there was a small vegetable garden off to the side. Dipper felt confident that this was the place.

 He knew in his gut that he was right, so he charged up to the door and tried the handle. It was locked. _Of course._ It was probably bolted on the other side.

Dipper slammed his shoulder up against the door, he was sure it was going to bruise, but it paid off. The bolt snapped from the flimsy wood and he stumbled into the poorly lit room, and became disoriented as the sound of someone screaming in a language he didn’t understand pierced his ears. When he regained his equilibrium he stared at the horrific at the scene in front of him.

Bill was lying dead(?) on an altar, his chest carved open. His eyes were wide open, but Dipper couldn’t tell if they were blank because of the contacts. But there was one thing that caught his attention. The blood. There was so much fucking blood and it made him feel sick.

 Dipper didn’t even have time to react to the gruesome scene since the witch was now standing directly in front of him and he got a good look at her. She was now without her mask and was holding Bill’s still beating heart in one hand, a knife in the other. She had the appearance of an old woman and her twisted tanned skin kind of reminded Dipper of a tree with silver eyes that bore into his soul. Even though Bill called her a monster, she looked positively human save for the eyes (but to be fair, so did Bill).

“Walk away, boy and you may live,” she hissed at him.

“I-I can’t let you eat that heart! Put it back in him, now!” Dipper yelled, trying to be confident with his words as he swallowed his nausea down.

“Really? You want him to have this heart back? After everything he’s done to you? I’ve done my research boy, and he is truly a monster,” she said, taking a couple steps closer to Dipper, the heart seemed to start beating faster in her hand.

If Dipper could keep her talking and keep her distracted long enough, then he could get Bill’s heart away from her. He felt hopeful that he could save Bill since it was still beating. He briefly thought about using the fire that Bill asked him to bring, but upon reflection he didn’t want to do anything that would accidentally damage Bill’s heart.

After glancing around the room, Dipper noticed that there was some sort of crafts table off to the side with several different bones laid out, like she was planning on building another wind chime. There were a mixture of sharp talons and tools that he could use to his advantage so the brunet slowly inched towards it with each step she took forward, acting like he was cowering away from her.

“And why would you want that kind of heart? It can’t be any good to you,” Dipper asked, trying to keep her talking. The last witch they encountered was extremely lonely and wanted companionship, so since this witch was shacked up alone in the woods, he thought to use her isolation to his advantage.

“Ah, you make a good point, young one. But you see, he is technically immortal and if I eat his heart I will never have to hunt again. Just let me have this, and we’ll both be out of your life forever,” the witch assured, before slowly licking the heart. A look of ecstasy coated her face as she stepped towards Dipper.

Dipper held back a disgusted noise at the gesture. Even if he didn’t want to save Bill, he would stop her just for the sake of not having to see her chow down on the heart.

She did raise a good point, though. Bill had already fixed the problem with his brain, so Dipper didn’t need him anymore. He could finally, truly be rid of his greatest enemy. He could make up with Mabel and live the happy, normal life they were supposed to have. He could help manage her business, he could eventually get married and have a family, and he could have a peaceful life with no demons, witches, or anything dangerous looming over them.

The more he thought about it, the more he realized that was exactly what he was trying to get away from. He wanted _this_! Well, maybe not _this_ exactly, but he wanted to see things with his own eyes! He wanted to see what normal people didn’t and have adventures! Dipper might be crazy and a _little_ masochistic for wanting this life, but he has never felt more alive than he did now.

Before Dipper could lose his nerve, he grabbed the largest, most pointed bone he could find and lunged forward, jabbing it into the witch’s shoulder, hooking it in as he dug deep. Her eyes went wide with agony as she screamed, dropping her dagger to the ground.

Dipper quickly ripped Bill’s beating heart from her hand and kicked her in the stomach, causing her to fall backwards, her back hitting the ground hard. He felt guilt and regret and his instincts made him want to help her as he saw her writhing on the floor, but the beating heart in his hands was enough to distract him from his major morality conflict.

 It felt weird, having Bill’s literal beating heart in his hands. There was something poetic about it, but he didn’t have time to contemplate a philosophical meaning behind it.  

He snatched the witch’s dagger from the ground as he quickly stepped over to Bill’s body where he could see the skin starting to crawl back onto the chest, healing itself slowly. _That must be how all the victims appeared normal when they were found._

Before it could cover the spot the heart belonged in, Dipper quickly shoved the heart back in there holding hope that the placement was right. He wasn’t exactly a doctor and the urge to gag was enough to remind him that there was a good reason he wasn’t.

Dipper twisted the heart around, trying to figure out the right way to place it, hoping, praying that his body would accept the heart again. He was careful not to touch the other organs as he gave it one final twist. When Bill’s body suddenly jerked and gasped for air, Dipper’s hand quickly retreated out of the chest cavity as he stepped backwards with a surprised yelp. _Gross, gross, gross!_ Dipper thought as he tried to shake some of the blood off of his hand.

Bill’s hand moved in front of his open chest and blue flames erupted from it. When he removed his hand, the wound was gone, but Bill still looked like he was having trouble sitting up so Dipper quickly moved to grab his shoulders to help him stay upright, accidentally smearing more blood on his shoulders.

After a short coughing fit Bill tilted his head. “Kid, you _actually_ found me. M’touched,” he said weakly but still maintained his usual amount of mockery in his voice. _Yeah, he’s going to be fine._

\-----------------------

The first thing Bill saw when his eyes regained focus was Pine Tree’s hand in his chest and a determined look on his face. That was always something awkward to wake up to. After he healed himself he felt hands on his bare shoulders.

 “Where’s the witch?” he asked sinisterly. Oh, he was going to completely and _utterly_ _destroy_ her _._

“I’m right here, now hold still,” the witch said while charging at them with a very long and sharp bone that was already covered in blood. But before she could even take two steps, Bill used the little bit of energy he had to make part of her robe spontaneously combust with blue flames. She screamed and flailed backwards, trying to stomp the flames out. Bill grabbed Pine Tree by his backpack and yanked him around so he could rummage through it. He didn’t have enough energy to finish her off with magic so he was going to have to do this the old fashioned way.

After he found what he needed and the witch was recovered, Bill sat cross legged on the table she had so careless dumped his body on (rude), waiting for her to retaliate. “You’re too weak, demon! I’ll have your heart yet!” she screamed and as soon as she lunged forward again, Bill aimed the makeshift flamethrower to her face, successfully burning her skin this time. She soon lit up as if she were covered in gasoline.  

“Bill, put her out! She’s dying!” Pine Tree yelled, yanking an unprepared Bill to his feet. A wave of dizziness rolled over his stupid human mind and he wrapped an arm around Pine Tree’s shoulders, partially for support, partially to keep him from going over there to help her. Witches are extremely weak against fire, so this wouldn’t last long.

“That’s the point Pine Tree,” Bill stated simply. He had warned the kid just this morning that they were going to half to kill her so it was his problem if he didn’t expect this.  

The witch writhed in pain as her blisters were popping almost as fast as they were forming, like she was being boiled alive. Soon, red veins and muscles were revealed and in some areas he could already see bone. Bill felt a smile form on his face. It’s not often these days that he gets to revel in destruction.  Bill granted her a quick death so she _really_ should be thankful.

Pine Tree had a look on his face that was a mix of horrified and despair and even though Bill really loved seeing that look, he raised the hand that wasn’t clinging to him and covered the kid’s eyes while leading him backwards, out of the cabin.

“W-we should stay. I want to make sure nothing catches on fire,” Pine Tree said, after her screams finally died down. Bill nodded, knowing that his body could use a rest anyway. There was no way Bill could hike in his condition and even though he knew that she would just turn to ash in the spot she stood, he welcomed the excuse to sit down. Bill chose to sit down in a soft patch of grass a few yards away from the cabin and he heard Pine Tree shuffling next to him.

That was a twist Bill didn’t expect. In his infinite life he would have never expected to be the target some basic creature, like a witch. Not to mention that he didn’t expect Shooting Star to have the guts to betray him like that. Good for her for stepping up, but he was going to have a very _serious_ talk with her later. The Raven Mocker teleported them to this location and that is definitely not in their bio. She should have either had to kill him on the spot of drag him kicking and screaming back to her lair. Also, that stuff Shooting Star ambushed him with wasn’t something that a witch staying in Gravity Falls should have had easy access to.

Bill looked over at Pine Tree who was lying on the grass, his wrist covering his eyes, breathing heavily with his mouth open. Bill leaned back so he was lying next to him and stared up at the stars that were finally out. “You really saved my bacon there, kid.”

“Ha, yeah. I guess I did,” Pine Tree huffed out.

Bill heard shifting next to him and when he glanced over he saw that Pine Tree was lying on his side, facing Bill. “Are you okay?” he asked, staring at where Bill’s chest was cut open. Bill mimicked the kid’s position to face him to give him a better view. “Yeah, I healed myself, see?” Bill was still without a shirt and still had some blood on him. Dipper’s hand twitched (the one that was also covered in Bill’s blood), as if the kid wanted to do something, but remained in the same spot.

Bill grabbed Pine Tree’s hand and placed it over his heart, which was still beating fast after that whole ordeal. “ _This_ is still beating because of you.”

Bill was feeling warm, but it wasn’t strange or unnatural. This kind of warmth felt right, like a sunny day. It made the demon feel like he could take on the world. When Bill finally let go of his hand, Pine Tree still stared at his chest, tracing the spot that was open just a few minutes earlier. He seemed to be in a daze. _The kid is probably coming down from his adrenaline high._

Bill stared at stared at Pine Tree’s expressionless face for a few moments before breaking the silence.

“Why?”

“Why what?” he asked, breaking out of whatever spell he seemed to be under. He dropped his hand back on the grass and looked Bill in the eyes.  

“Why would you save me? I couldn’t say anything, but I heard what she offered you and it wasn’t a bad deal,” Bill asked, curiously. He wasn’t complaining, but he really wanted to know what went through Pine Tree’s head in that moment.

Pine Tree’s eyes darted around for a moment before landing back on Bill’s eyes. “I’ll save your ass as many times as necessary,” he stated simply. Bill chuckled, “Good answer, kid.”  

They were both drained after their ordeal so they decided that sleeping in the witch’s cabin and finding their way back in the daylight was probably for the best. Pine Tree looked exhausted and Bill knew he practically ran the five miles to get there so he didn’t think that the kid had the energy to make back anyway.

Luckily for them, the witch had a small wash tub full of water that they used to rinse the blood off of their skin. Their clothes on the other hand were a lost cause and would have to be discarded when they got back home.

Bill pettily kicked the pile of ash that was once the witch before leading Pine Tree to her sleeping area. She had what looked like a full size bed layered with animal fur. The mattress looked homemade too and was probably stuffed with real feathers.

They exchanged an awkward glance and Bill pushed the kid onto the bed as his passive aggressive way of saying ‘you can have it’ before digging out the sleeping bag Pine Tree had packed. Before he could get settled on the floor, Pine Tree coughed to get his attention.

“You can sleep in the bed with me. If you want. Just so you’re not tired for the hike tomorrow. But after tonight, never again,” Pine Tree offered, while continuously amending the ending of his sentences. Bill was too tired to tease the kid about it so he just gave him a smirk before completely unzipping the sleeping bag and covered the both of them with it as he crawled next to Pine Tree who was practically asleep already.

Bill stared at Pine Tree’s face as he began lightly snoring. Bill touched his cheek. He didn’t move so Bill dared to trace his jawline. The kid was definitely passed out. Bill leaned forward and pressed his lips to his. He didn’t know why he did but it just felt right. Pine Tree’s lips had a salty, sweaty taste to them. When Bill pulled their lips apart he quietly whispered, “Thanks, Pine Tree,” before letting sleep take him.

 

After finally trekking through the forest and long drive back to the mansion, both Bill and Pine Tree were greeted with a hug that crushed them both when they stepped into the pool house.

“Geez, we were worried about you, kids!” Fez stated. He didn’t show it often, but he was such a sap.

“You do realize that I’m like a trillion years older than you, right?” Bill scoffed.

“Yeah, but you act like a freaking ten year old sometimes,” Fez retorted.

“Fair enough,” Bill said, while eyeing a certain Shooting Star that was lingering in the living room next to Sixer. Bill pushed away from Fez and sang out, “Oh Shooting Staaaar!”

She flinched at the sound his voice and Pine Tree grabbed one of Bill’s shoulders to keep him from moving forward. “Don’t worry, I won’t hurt her. But I do require some _answers_ ,” Bill’s eyes flashed blue when he said ‘answers’ so she would know he was serious, despite his cheery tone. He knew how it put everyone on edge when he acted too joyful.

Fez stepped up and asked, “What is he talking about Mabel?” while Sixer crossed his arms and silently watched the scene before him. 

Shooting Star looked like she was ready to crack under pressure, “T-the uh, Raven Mocker! She said she was going to kill Dipper if I didn’t hand Bill over! So you have to understand that I was just trying to protect Dipper!” her arms moved in all directions as she spat out her story. Before Bill could call her out on her obvious lie, Pine Tree stepped in.

“But you said there was a demon last night. Are you trying to lie to us?” Pine Tree sounded like a wounded animal but Bill had missed this information earlier and paid close attention, keeping his eyes locked with Shooting Star’s so she would feel the pressure.

“O-okay. You got me. Guys I need to confess something,” Shooting Star started to say, but Sixer interrupted. “It’s okay Mabel. You don’t have to say anything else. You were just trying to protect your bro-“

“That’s not it and you know it, Grunkle Ford! We can’t keep hiding it! Guys, Ford and I made a deal with a demon five years ago.”

Bill froze. “What.” His voice was so ice cold that not even Pine Tree’s warmth could thaw him out.

“D-dipper got into some trouble and he was going to kill us both if we didn-“

“WHO?” Bill asked, his voice shaking the entire room.

“Hector. Hectorgon. He wanted you dead,” Shooting Star said in almost a whisper, while taking a couple guilty steps backwards.

Bill slowly turned his head to Sixer. He could feel an insane smile on his face along with Pine Tree gripping his shoulder harder. “And you were in on this? You brought me back here to deliver me to the jaws of the beast, didn’t you?”

Sixer had an unreadable expression but, very solemnly, he nodded.

A small laugh bubbled up inside of Bill. It grew and grew until Bill could no longer breathe air into his human lungs. When Bill could finally breathe again he spoke, “Oh, OH, this is indeed rich! You, YOU guys broke the deal. HA. HA. Wow, I did not see that coming but I guess I should have since this is the second deal in a row you guys have botched me on! First by not giving me the formula to get out of Gravity Falls and now this! Man this is rich!”

“What do you mean Bill? What does he mean?” Pine Tree looked at Bill first and then to the rest of his family. “Well, it means that I’m one hundred percent free from you guys! Oh man, and it’s even more rich that you even used Pine Tree? Isn’t that funny Pine Tree? Your own family used you as a pawn!”

Fez was the first to speak, “Ford, is it true? Did you really make a deal with _another_ demon? What the hell is wrong with you?”

“I had to Stanley. Mabel had emailed me about Dipper finding out about Hector’s plans so I did it to protect them,” Fordsy said, tilting his head so no one could see his eyes through the reflection on his glasses. Oh, there was more to his story than just protecting his _precious_ family and Bill was going to find out.

“But why erase my memory of it? Why brainwash me?” Pine Tree’s voice was starting to crack.

“Would you have stopped if you could remember? I did what I had to in order to keep you alive!” Sixer was shaking now.

“I can’t believe this! You didn’t trust me to not get myself killed? Have I always been just a _stupid_ _kid_ in your eyes?” Tears pricked Pine Tree’s eyes.

Bill could see that the kid was getting ready to break down so the demon grabbed him by the waist and quickly said, “So I guess my first act as a free demon is putting your great nephew out of his misery!” before dramatically engulfing them in blue flames as he teleported them out of the pool house, leaving nothing behind but the echo of his insane laughter. Breaking Sixer would just have to wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *sighs heavily* I'm actually happy with how this chapter turned out compared to the last two, so thank you guys for bearing with me! You are beautiful people! :D


	16. Secrets

Dipper’s stomach lurched as he was instantly teleported with Bill’s hand gripping his waist as the only thing keeping him steady as a kaleidoscope’s worth of colors flashed before his eyes. His mind was spinning when Bill pushed him away causing him fall to his knees onto some (thankfully) soft grass. He started heaving, but nothing but spit and a little bit of stomach acid came up since he had skipped dinner last night and didn’t even get a chance to have breakfast this morning.

Once Dipper regained his composure, a small trickle of fear gripped him when the words that Bill just said to his family caught up to his brain. He sat up on his legs and stopped himself from making the mistake of wiping his mouth off with his sleeve that was stained with dry blood and switched sleeves to get the remainder of the spit off of his mouth.

The brunett turned to see Bill angrily pacing back and forth with his hands behind his back. Dipper took a brief moment to notice that they were somewhere in the woods. Great, so he had no idea where he was. On the bright side, it seemed that Bill was just trying to get a rise from his family when he said he was going to kill him.  

“How couldn’t they? How the hell _COULD_ they? I mean, I get that humans are stupid, but oh ho, this is a new level of stupid.”

Dipper shakily got to his feet and said whatever he could say to try and calm the demon that was having a mental breakdown in front of him. “I get why you’re angry but they must have had a good reason. We should-“

“NO!” Bill roared. “There is no _GOOD_ reason! I could have taken Hector out myself if they just told me!” Bill was infuriated. His eyes were red and his contacts were melting away again. Bill blinked a few times and turned his back to him.

“I don’t understand, aren’t they supposed to be the good guys!? That’s why I went to them! _But no!_ They had to… they had go and betray me! Betray _US_! And what the hell is Hector’s bitch ass doing making deals?! He _KNOWS_ that’s _MY_ thing! Are all of my allies against me? What the actual hell is-“Bill trailed off. Dipper stepped closer to him when he realized how harshly Bill’s shoulders were shaking.

“UGH! And this mortal body is so goddamn _frustrating_! I can’t even-“Dipper grabbed Bill by the shoulders and forced him to turn around and look at him. He looked up into Bill’s eyes (well, slits) and was taken aback by what he was seeing. Bill Cipher. Almighty being of pure energy and no weakness had tear pricks in his eyes. He knew that they were formed by rage, but it was still an interesting concept to conceive.  

Dipper felt a small sense of satisfaction when he realized that the demon finally got a taste of his own medicine. He deserved this after all the shit he put his family and his town through. But unfortunately, Dipper, being the kind soul that he is couldn’t revel in it. He was hurt by the very thing that was currently enraging Bill and first and foremost he needed to do was calm the demon down before he gets so worked up that he accidentally burns down the forest.  

Dipper put his hands on Bill’s face and wiped the pricks away. He felt Bill lean into the touch and was suddenly aware of how close they were. He should have taken a couple steps back right then and there but something stopped him. As he gazed into Bill’s eyes, he saw his own feelings reflecting in the demon’s eyes. Despair. Anger. Desperation. Dipper slowly felt his animosity towards Bill fade. He found himself wanting to comfort Bill because he _knew_ _exactly_ what he was feeling first hand if not more.

Dipper moved his hands to rub Bill’s temples until the red in his eyes faded to blue, and the blue faded back to a dull yellow.

“How the hell are you so calm?” Bill asked, closing his eyes as Dipper massaged his temples. “It’s because you’re angry. I can’t bring myself to be upset when someone else is.”

“That’s stupid.” Bill suddenly grabbed Dipper’s hands and looked him dead in the eyes. “Let’s leave. You and me against the world, Pine Tree!” He grabbed Dipper by the shoulders now and shook him a little while giving him an insane smile. “We’ll show them that they can’t treat us like this! We’ll show them who really matters! We’ll burn everyone and everything that goes against us! We’ll-“

Dipper covered Bill’s mouth with his hand. He took a deep, labored breath. He was hurt but he didn’t want to do anything rash or crazy. Despite everything that he just discovered, he still loved his family. And that’s what was so damn heartbreaking about this is that even though they betrayed him, hurt him, and used him, he couldn’t bring himself to hate them. Not without all the facts at least. It’s just not who he is.

But he wasn’t naïve enough to just let them back in or just expect things to go back to the way they were. But finding out the whole story would be great. They were the only ones that could fill in the blanks for him and he wouldn’t get any answers by shutting them out completely and running off with Bill. Not to mention, he had other responsibilities to take care of.

“I-I can’t do that, Bill. I have responsibilities to Soos and Melody,” Dipper said, dropping his hand.

“Suit yourself kid,” Bill started to pull away but instead of letting the demon walk away, Dipper collided with his chest and locked his arms around him to make him stop.

“Don’t,” he whispered, while wondering what the hell he was doing. Bill hesitated like he was surprised, but damn, Dipper surprised himself.

Dipper and Bill were both feeling the same kind of betrayal from the people closest to them and he had no one else he could go to about this. He didn’t want to bring his friends like Wendy or Soos into the middle of this mess. They would probably feel like they’d have to choose sides and Dipper didn’t want to burden them with that kind of pressure. Bill was all he had at the moment.

After a few moments of awkwardness, Dipper felt arms wrap back around him. Bill held him tightly and he could feel the blonde burying his face in his brown bangs. Dipper tightened his grip on the demon. He didn’t realize it, but fuck, he really needed this hug.

“Stay here and run the Shack with me,” Dipper heard himself implore while continuing to take deep breaths to keep himself from breaking down in Bill’s arms. Bill may be calmer now, but the demon was still furious. He had to keep his cool.

Sudden realization washed over Dipper like someone had dumped a bucket of ice over him. Even if he was still greatly holding back, this is the first time he had shown real weakness to anyone in a long time. Hell, even with his emotional morning the other day, everything he felt was blind fury.

His emotions had been nulled for so long that he never really truly cared about what happened. He wondered how he would have taken this news while he was brainwashed and grimaced at the thought. _Oh, you made a deal with a demon to brainwash me? Oh, well as long as no one got hurt. By the way, what’s for dinner?_

Bill was quiet for a long time before answering coldly, “Okay kid. But only until I can find Hector and rip him apart. Piece by piece.” Dipper could tell Bill was getting worked up again as the demon squeezed him tighter so he rubbed circles on his back. When Bill’s grip loosened again, Dipper stepped back, his Grunkle’s advice from last night ringing in his head.

“Let’s take a day or two to cool off and do something fun. I don’t know about you, but I’m starving and we _need_ to shower,” Dipper said, giving Bill a light punch on the chest in an attempt to cheer the demon (and himself) up. Bill looked like he was still feeling distressed, but it seemed to lighten the mood a little. “Yeah, kid. I’ll teleport us to my room and we’ll get cleaned up there,” Bill said, reaching out to grab Dipper’s wrist.  

“Whoa, give me a second to prepare myself. I don’t think my body agrees with teleporting,” Dipper held up his hands defensively. Bill just rolled his eyes and stepped towards him, putting his hands up to cover his eyes so he couldn’t see.

 When Bill lowered his hands, Dipper was standing in an unfamiliar room. It was kind of basic. A queen sized bed, a desk with a laptop on it, some chest of drawers and a small bookshelf. It looked pretty modern though, but it wasn’t really decorated. Not really how he pictured the demon’s room. Er, not that he was picturing being in Bill’s room.

Bill stepped over to the chest of drawers and after some rummaging he tossed a forest green button up and a pair of black dress pants to Dipper.

“Here, just wear my clothes today. Shower is through there,” he said, pointing to one of the doors.

“Oh, uh, thanks,” Dipper said awkwardly as he brushed past the demon.

Dipper closed and locked the door behind him. He stripped from his dirty and bloodied clothes while he waited for the shower water to heat up. Once it was to a satisfying temperature, Dipper stepped into the shower, alone with his thoughts.

He tried to distract himself for a little while by looking over Bill’s bath products, sniffing them and realizing that the demon smelled completely different than what he bathed with. He wondered produce their own natural scent, human form or not. Eventually Dipper set the bottle down and began washing himself, allowing the protruding thoughts to flow around in his mind.

These past two days have really been a whirlwind for him. He found out that he had been brainwashed, got a case from Blubs and Durland, witnessed part of an autopsy, went on a literal witch hunt, held Bill fucking Ciphers heart in his hands (gross), had his hands inside of Bill’s chest (even more fucking gross), watched a demon burn a witch, and found out that his family were the ones that brainwashed him.

Things really went full circle in such a short amount of time, didn’t they? Dipper barely felt like he had any breathing room. This whole situation had suddenly become very suffocating.  He wanted to cry. Shit, he wanted to cry so bad, but he didn’t. He refused to shed a tear over this fucked up situation.

Grunkle Stan.

Stan didn’t seem to have any idea about it either. He probably feels betrayed too and is dealing with Mabel and Ford alone. _I should probably let him know that Bill didn’t actually kill me._

After Dipper got out of the shower, the first thing he did was shoot a text to Stan saying that he was safe and would be gone for a few days.

Dipper got into the shirt Bill gave him easily, but the dress pants were a little tight for his waist. Luckily for him, his jeans from last night weren’t bloodied like Bill’s, just a little dirty so he figured he could get away with wearing them again.

When Dipper came out of the bathroom, he was surprised to see Bill already cleaned up and dressed, wearing a black button up with yellow embroidery, yellow buttons, paired with a pair of black slacks and dress shoes.

“Like what you see, Pine Tree?” Bill teased with a wink. Dipper was getting used to the demon’s flirtatious attitude and chose to try and turn this into a normal conversation.

“Just surprised since you look more, well, _you_ than usual,” Dipper commented, gesturing to Bill’s outfit.

“I wanna go to the next town over and I don’t think these colors will trigger anyone who’s not in Gravity Falls,” Bill mentioned.

Dipper rolled his eyes but then actually thought about what the demon was proposing. “That actually sounds really good, but we’re at least hit a drive thru before we leave town. I need a breakfast burrito and some coffee or I’m going to die soon. How did you get cleaned so fast?”

“I teleported to one of the other showers in this house. You’d be amazed how big this place is if you explored it,” Bill said, strolling into the bathroom to put some new contacts in.

“So I guess you’re going to be using your powers more often, huh?” Dipper leaned on the doorframe, keeping the conversation going.

“No reason not to since I’m free. Though I’ll still have to be careful in public since I’m not powerful enough to handle an angry mob just yet,” Bill said blinking the tears the eye drops caused away. He wiped his face with a towel and shoved his contact case, solution and eye drops into a small bag before he brushed past Dipper with a wide smile on his lips. “Let’s hit the road, Pine Tree!”

The two men sneaked downstairs, careful to avoid McGucket and his son. They generally kept to themselves, working on their crazy contraptions, so they didn’t worry too much about bumping into them.

When Dipper and Bill finally reached the car, they froze when they heard a familiar voice.

“Dipper?”

\--------------------------

Stan was angry. Actually, angry didn’t even begin to describe how he was feeling. He wasn’t sure if there were any words in any language that could describe how livid he was at this very moment. He stormed forward and grabbed Ford by the collar.

“What the hell were you thinking, Ford? Bill might actually kill Dipper!”

His twin just glared back at him, “You think I don’t know that!”

Mabel then latched on his arm, “Grunkle Stan, please stop! It’s my fault! It’s all my fault!”

Stan looked down at his grandniece and felt his fury fade fast. He always had a soft spot for these kids. He felt himself let go of Fords collar and asked, “I’m going to need every last detail, _now_ Mabel. Maybe I can make things right again if you tell me the whole story.”

Ford huffed, but Stan ignored him. His family was falling apart and he needed to do something about it.

Mabel let out a breath of air, “Okay. It’s a long story but it all started during mine and Dipper’s senior year, right after we turned seventeen.”

 

_Mabel looked at her brother, who was patting his hair down in Mabel’s locker mirror. After he was done, Mabel checked her teeth. Her braces were removed just a few weeks ago and man did her mouth feel all sorts of strange._

_“Are you excited, Dip Dop? We’re already in our senior year! We get to go to prom this year!” Mabel said, excitedly._

_Dipper just rolled his eyes and teased, “Well, you know that’s not until spring, right? We haven’t even gone to our first class and you’re talking about dances.”_

_“Well at least I’m not talking about what dumb classes I’m going to take this semester,” Mabel teased back. Her brother was trying to get into an Ivy League school so he was taking on a bunch of extracurricular courses and joined several clubs. Mabel was in a few clubs herself, but she wanted to pace herself and have fun with her last year of high school._

_“Hey, sis?”_

_“Yeah, bro-bro?”_

_“I need to tell you something,” Dipper said, hesitantly. Mabel put grabbed onto his arm and led him down the hall, passing up several students that were chatting and catching up after the summer._

_“What’s on your mind?” she asked gently. “I think I’ve been going into the mindscape when I sleep.”_

_Mabel nearly dropped her book bag. “What? The mindscape? How-“_

_“I’m not sure. But when I sleep everything is in black and white, and I think I see one of Bill’s hench-whatevers. I don’t know if it’s real or if I’m just having bad dreams,” her brother admitted, awkwardly scratching the back of his head._

_“Well, we kicked Bill’s butt back to Timbuctoo so I think that it’s just bad dreams. I can stay in your room tonight, if you want? Twin slumber party?” Mabel offered._

_Dipper smiled but replied, “No, I don’t think it’s necessary. It’s not scary or bad, I just wanted to let you know.” The bell rang, putting a hold on the conversation. She wasn’t_ too _worried about her brother. They were just bad dreams._ Right _?_

_A few days later in the middle of the night, Mabel awoke to someone shaking her shoulders. “Mabel! Mabel, wake up!” Mabel sat up and rubbed her eyes before glancing at the clock. “It’s like one in the morning? What’s wrong?” she asked sleepily. She then suddenly remembered Dipper saying he’s been having weird dreams and prepared to scoot over to make room for him, but halted at what he said next._

_“I’m going out. I’m going to the park in the middle of town. If I’m not back in the morning, I need you to cover for me,” he said quickly and Mabel realized that he was wearing jeans and a hoodie. “Dipper, what’s going on?”_

_Dipper chewed on his lower lip and looked away, “I’ll tell you about it when I get back, but I have to leave. Now.” Before Mabel could stop him, her brother bolted out the door. She of course couldn’t let Dipper go by himself so she threw on some jeans under her long night shirt and slipped her feet into a pair of flips before running downstairs to catch up with him. It was too late, though. Mabel could see him pulling out of the driveway through the living room window._

_In her moment of desperation, she grabbed the keys to their Mom’s car and ran out to the driveway. Her Mom drove a huge SUV and she felt thankful that the tank was full because she knew and hated that this thing was a gas guzzler. She whipped out of the driveway with the same lightning speed that Dipper did and started her drive to Midway Park._

_When she finally reached her destination, she looked around for Dipper’s car. It was pretty easy to spot since the park was completely abandoned. What worried her though was that he was parked by the ultimate Frisbee trail entrance and those trails had a lot of loops and curves that could disorient you during the daytime if you didn’t know where you were going, let alone at night._

_She grabbed her phone from her jean pocket and tied her nightshirt so it would sit on her waist without getting in the way. She took a deep breath as she turned her phone’s flashlight on and walked the trails._

_Mabel was feeling extremely creeped out. The trees covered any natural light the moon would have given and the only sound was the crumpling leaves under her feet. Well, that was until she heard a brief scream._

_Mabel ran through the trails after whatever screamed praying that it wasn’t her brother. But there was no such luck. When she reached the source and shined her light, a man wearing a black trench coat, with black hair and piercing stood over her brother. He had one of his combat boots on Dipper’s throat. She recognized him as one of the teenagers that hung out at the coffee bar down the road. She was confused. This guy was usually such a teddy bear._

_He looked at her since she was providing the new light source and when she saw his gleaming red eyes, she knew that she was dealing with something that wasn’t human anymore._

_“Well, well, well, looks like Dipper’s sister is here to save the day. Right on time too,” he spoke with a voice that was slick like oil._

_“Get off of my brother!” she yelled and started to take a step forward but he brought his foot down a little tighter on Dipper’s neck, causing him to flail around and wheeze. She quickly took two steps back and he lightened his foot off of Dipper’s esophagus. Dipper breathed erratically in an attempt to catch his breath._

_“Smart girl,” he said, his eyes darkening._

_“Who are you?” Mabel asked as she stared at him angrily._

_“Ah, I didn’t think you’d remember me. Name’s Hectorgon, but you can call me Hector for short,” he gave a small bow._

_“What do you want?”_

_“Just a favor actually. Dipper wasn’t too keen on doing it for me, but maybe you will? If not, I could end you both, right here, right now.” His eyes flashed green during the last half of his little speech._

_“What favor?” Mabel asked, gravely._

_“Mabel don-ack” Dipper’s words were cut off by the boot on his throat._

_“Please don’t-“ Mabel tried to plead for her brother, but was cut off._

_“Send an email to Stanford for me,” Hector demanded, letting Dipper breath again as a show of good faith._

_“W-what?” Mabel was confused. “All you want is for me to email my Grunkle Ford for you?”_

_“Yes, and in exchange, you both will live, though I will have to take a few select memories to keep your brother from butting into my business. He’s awfully persistent,” Hector spat._

_Mabel stared at her brother for a moment. He looked bad. Even in this bad lighting, she could see how bruised up he is. She looked at her phone screen and pulled open her email app. “What do you want me to say?” she asked through grit teeth._

_“Word it however you’d like, but just let him know that the next time he falls asleep, he needs to be away from his companions,” Hector said, staring at her as she typed the email._

_He wasn’t sure how he knew when she did it, but the moment she hit send Hector’s foot left Dipper’s neck but he gave his side one good kick that sent him hurtling towards Mable’s feet. She quickly bent down to check on her brother. He was unconscious, but breathing._ Thank goodness _._

_When she looked up, Hector was gone. She had a lot of questions, like what did he mean by companions? Were her Grunkles travelling with other people? She didn’t have time to dwell on it though, her brother was hurt and he needed a hospital._

“So you made a deal to save both of your asses, I get that. But why did he need Ford to go to sleep alone?” Stan asked, pressing for answers.

“I can shine some light on that. Hector visited me in my sleep and he didn’t want to chance Cipher being able to sense him around,” Ford confessed. 

“Where were we when this happened?” Stan asked, curious to where this all took place.

“I think we were still off the coast of Australia,” Ford looked up thoughtfully.

“So when said that you met some-“

“A lie. I couldn’t ignore Mabel’s message so I got a hotel room for myself,” Ford informed them.

“Well, what happened?” Stan pressed, through grit teeth. He was trying so hard to keep his cool. Thank goodness he had gotten better at controlling his anger after all these years or else tables would have been flipped by now. His brother should have talked things out with him but he couldn’t dwell on the past. He had to help Dipper. He got a text from him saying he was safe in the middle of Mabel’s story, but he didn’t know for how long.

“Well, as you already guessed, I got Mabel’s email that night I disappeared on you guys,” Ford started.

_Ford, Stanly and Bill were all sitting in a café in Sydney Australia. The sun was setting over the water and they had a perfect view._

_Bill was excitedly talking about some of the weird creatures they might be able to spot here when Ford’s laptop dinged. He went straight to his emails and saw that he personally had one from Mabel, no subject line. In her time zone, she should have long been in bed so Ford quickly opened and read it, a bad feeling plaguing the back of his mind._

**Ford, please please please go to sleep alone tonight away from Grunkle Stan and whoever else you’re with! A demon has Dipper and he’s going to kill us both if you don’t do this. Don’t tell anyone, please!**

**Theextrasuperfabulous,**

**Mabel**

_Ford’s breath hitched. It was exactly what he was dreading. A cry for help._

_“Crikey, Sixer! You done look like you seen a ghost!” Bill said, laughing as he mocked the locals loudly with the butchering of their accent._

_“Bill, be polite,” Ford chastised in a hushed tone. “You need to fit in as a human, remember?”_

_Bill scoffed at the notion, but still pressed the subject matter, “So what’s wrong Fordsy? Someone die or something?”_

_Now Stan had his attention turned to him as well._

_“Haha, well actually I just got a message from this girl I was chatting up earlier,” Ford lied. It was easy to act nervous since he didn’t know what he was getting himself into._

_Stan gave him a smack on the shoulder, “Go get her! I’ll stay up with Bill tonight. We’ll play poker or something.”_

_“Uuugh, no way Fez, you always win!” Bill complained._

_“Learn how to hide your facial expressions better, then. You were good at lying as a demon, but now you have a face full of tells that give you away,” Stan said as Bill leaned back in his chair and puffed out his cheeks._

_Ford wasn’t keen on giving the demon advice to make him a better liar. He noticed that Stan was treating Bill like his son rather than their prisoner and that irked him. Sure Bill seemed like he wasn’t going to do any harm now, but his past betrayal burned in the back of Ford’s mind every day. Yes, he treated the demon better than when he first snuck on his ship, but he refused to let his guard down even after he saved Stanley during that storm._

_Ford deleted the email before closing his laptop. “Okay, I guess I’ll go and get ready,” he said to excuse himself and head down to the boat. He grabbed a change of clothes and his new journal so he could keep a record of what happened._

_There were a few cheap hotels in walking distance that he could stay at so Ford began hunting for a vacancy._

_When he finally found a vacant hotel, he went into his room and quickly locked the door behind him. He lied on the bed and started flipping through his journal until he finally got tired enough to let sleep take him._

_Ford immediately recognized the mindscape the minute he entered it. He was still in the hotel but now everything was shaded in several hues of grey._

_A light shined in front of him, blinding him for a moment but what appeared before him surprised him. It was a red hexagonal shape with a black bowler hat, a mustache over big yellow lips, and a bright blue tie._

_“Thank you for taking the time to meet with me Stanford. Now your grandniece and nephew won’t have to suffer,” it spoke merrily. It wasn’t quite how Cipher had talked when approaching people in the mindscape. This hexagon had a bit more suaveness to him._

_“Yes, yes I’m here, now let’s get to the point. Who are you and what do you want?” Ford asked, not willing to play games. “Name’s Hectorgon, but you can call me Hector. I believe there is something that we both want that I can help you get,” he replied, floating around Ford in an attempt to disorient him, just like Bill used to do when proposing a deal._

_“I have everything I want. You have nothing to offer me,” Ford spat out, coldly._

_“Oh, but there is something you want! Or rather, something you don’t want that I can take off your hands,” Hector said with a wide grin._

_“You point. Find it, please,” Ford tried to hurry the demon._

_“I want to get rid of Bill Cipher,” Hector said in a sing-song before his voice turned serious. “And I know you do to. You hate him with every fiber of your being, don’t you? He’s tormented you, your family, and now he’s forcing you and your dear brother to take care of him like an overgrown infant until you die.”_

_Ford looked at the ground. He did want to get rid of Bill but they had a deal. Ford couldn’t make deals with other demons._

_“A deal wouldn’t mean anything if he’s dead, now would it?” Hector stated, giving away that he could read his thoughts here._

_“You want to kill him?” Ford questioned. The offer was tempting. Oh so temping._

_“Yup! And you get to keep your hands clean and can blame everything on me so you’re not spurred by your family! I just need you to deliver him to Gravity Falls in the beginning of the summer five years from now.”_

_“What? What’s so significant about five years from now?” That was such a specific time frame so it made Ford feel uneasy._

_“Because I have business to attend to and a posse to gather to orchestrate his demise. Do you have any idea how hard it is to completely destroy a demon, let alone Bill? He may have his powers, but he left himself in a state of vulnerability and I plan to take advantage of that. It might take me several tries if he has his powers, but I can guarantee that he will be dead at the end of summer,” Hector said while flipping back and forth between upside down and right side up._

_“But what’s in it for you? What do you get from destroying Bill?”_

_“I’m next in line to inherit the mindscape and nightmare realm. Once he’s out of the picture you won’t have to hear from me or my crew again. Your greatest, most powerful enemy will be defeated and out of not just your hair, but your family’s hair. What do you say?” Hector asked while extended a hand covered in green flames to Ford._

_Ford thought back to Mabel and Dipper. They were in trouble with this demon just a little while earlier and he apparently almost killed them. “I want Mabel and Dipper to be safe. Actually, I want all of my family to be safe from demons and nightmares,” Ford declared._

_Hector took his hand back and tapped his bottom yellow lip thoughtfully, “Well, there is only one way I can completely guarantee that. You’re grandnephew has started to become a thorn in my side. He managed to dig his way into the mindscape without a spell or another demon dragging him there. I’ll just need to tweak his mind a little- now don’t make that face, I won’t do anything major, just pull some strings to make sure his curiousness doesn’t get the best of him. Wouldn’t want him to discover what happened to Schrodinger’s cat, now would we? Spoiler alert: I killed it.” He ended that sentence with darkness in his voice._

_“So what you’re saying is, to get rid of my greatest enemy I would have to deliver him to you in Gravity Falls in five years and let you brainwash my grandnephew?” Ford asked, making sure he had the terms and conditions down. There was a lot of moral conflict behind this deal and Ford wasn’t sure where the line between good and evil blurred. The entire world would be safe without Bill, but at what cost?_

_“Brainwashing is such a negative way to look at it. Think of it as a brain-rinse if you will. Still himself, just less likely to get himself in trouble with me, or anyone else for that matter,” Hector assured, reaching out a hand again._

_Getting rid of Bill permanently but at the cost of letting a demon into Dipper’s mind. This was a very weighted decision. Bill is behaving for the time being, but what if that’s not always the case? What if he’s just biding his time until he and Stanley pass away, then what? The entire world would be in jeopardy again. Could he sacrifice the possible sanity of his grandnephew to be rid of Bill?_

_He could. He took Hector’s hand and shook._

“WHAT?” Mabel and Stan yelled at the same time. “Grunkle Ford, you told me years ago that Hector did what he did to Dipper on his own! I had to deal with him acting so different and pretend it was okay so he wouldn’t go into shock! Was that a lie too? Would Dipper have been fine if I had told him the truth all along!?” Mabel yelled. Stan could see her face turning red and knew that his was probably doing the same.   

“You pretty much let a demon run rampant in Dipper’s mind because of a grudge! Damn it, Ford!” Stan punched the coffee table so hard that one of the legs broke, causing Mabel’s notepads to slide to the floor.

“Hey, I did it for the good of the world! I just decided it was time to be honest about it with you,” Ford defended.

“No, you did it for the good of yourself, Grunkle Ford. You threw my brother under a bus because _you_ wanted to feel a little bit safer and now he’s mad at me too,” Mabel accused with a cold fury like no other.

Ford’s mouth opened and then closed, like he wanted to defend himself but knew he couldn’t. There was no way to justify what he did.

“I can’t even look at you right now,” Stan said, turning on his heel to walk back to the mansion. He heard Mabel’s footsteps following him and waited for her to exit through the door to the pool house before turning to his brother one last time, “By the way, I got a text from Dipper saying he’s safe, not that you would care,” and slammed the door behind him, leaving Ford alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *blushes at the influx of comments* Wow, words cannot describe how happy it makes me to see that you guys are enjoying this. This was another heart heavy chapter, but now you guys know the full truth of what happened.   
> Also, The_Loser_Army drew this adorable fan art for chapter nine! http://theloserarmy.tumblr.com/image/149443525872  
> This also caused me to go and create my own tumblr just so I could go and like it so if you guys want a better view of my icon and see what my human Bill looks like, this is the link to my still painfully empty tumblr, haha.   
> http://purplerivulets.tumblr.com/  
> But seriously, you guys are the best! I keep doing this for you!


	17. Fat Lip

Pacifica saw that Dipper practically jumped out of his skin when she called to him. “P-Paz, hey, what are you doing here?” She was parked behind the pool house next to Dipper’s vehicle and was getting ready to fetch Mabel when she saw these two acting suspicious. _How the hell did they not notice my car?_

“I’m taking Mabel car shopping today since _someone_ has a habit of stealing them when other people plan to use them,” she said, eyeballing William.

William just shrugged off her accusation and refuted, “Well, I had better things to do than to watch a bunch of girls get wasted.”

“It’s not like we didn’t offer you a drink,” Pacifica snapped back.

“Yeah well, I didn’t _like_ what you were offering,” Bill countered.

Before Pacifica had a chance to keep their no-win back and forth going, Dipper cut them off, “Pacifica, it was really great seeing you but Bill and I need to leave before-“

“Dipper?”

Pacifica turned to Mabel who ran straight to her brother. She collided with him and enclosed him in a hug, but Pacifica didn’t fail to notice the lack of reciprocation. Dipper hesitated before wrapping his arms loosely around his twin. Something must have happened since she had dropped Mabel off yesterday, so Pacifica sat in silence. She glanced away briefly when she saw one of Mabel’s great uncles storm off into the main house but quickly put her attention back on Mabel and Dipper and watched the scene unfold.

“Bro-bro! I’m so glad you’re safe!” Mabel cheered, seemingly unfazed by her brother’s lack of enthusiasm.

“Y-yeah, Mabes. I’m safe,” Dipper said as he peeled Mabel off of him and looked her in the eyes. It was like they had their own little bubble. He spoke to her as if no one else was around.

“Mabel, Bill and I are leaving town for a few days,” Dipper said while Pacifica was busy connecting some dots. She glanced over at ‘William’ and he was staring too intently at Dipper to notice that she was observing him. _Hmm_. She was going to have to confirm her thoughts with Mabel later.

“You’re leaving town? Why?” Mabel asked, sounding distressed.

“Because Mabel, what happened hurts. It really fucking hurts and I just need some space for a while,” Dipper sounded even more wounded than Mabel. _Wow, something really fucked up must have happened to make these two want to be apart for a while_. But what Pacifica _never_ imagined was that it was be Mabel’s fault.

“I get it. Take all the time you need, but I want to tell you everything. I really, _really_ hated keeping this a secret for so long,” Mabel’s voice sounded like she was begging for confirmation that there would be future interactions between them. Dipper scrunched his face and Pacifica feared the answer for Mabel.

“Yeah, I do want to know exactly what happened. I need to figure out what the hell I stumbled on five years ago,” Dipper’s voice was sounded a little better now and Mabel’s posture improved when she realized that Dipper wasn’t going to just shut her out.

“But we need to start looking for help at the Shack.” Mabel’s posture dropped again at Dipper’s new statement. “I mean, I’ve been thinking about doing that anyway since it’s been busy, but why now?” she questioned.

“Because Mabel, you and I both know that things can’t go back to the way they were. But we owe it to Soos and Melody to take care of their home and business. I’ll run the Shack if you just want to concentrate on your business and just come over once a week to help with the paperwork,” Dipper said, sounding like he was struggling to keep the bitterness out his tone. _Something fucked up_ really _did happen._

Pacifica watched Mabel step out from her brother’s grip. Her shoulders started shaking but she kept a cheery tone. Pacifica really, _really_ wished she could see her facial expression right now. “You got it Bro,” she said quickly before turning back to the blonde, answering her wish. Mabel had a huge smile plastered on her face, but it in no way, shape, or form reached her eyes. Pacifica could see that she was hurting. That both the twins were hurting.

“Give me your keys, I’m driving,” William said, blocking Dipper from getting in the driver side.

“Why the hell would I let you drive?” Dipper quipped with a raised eyebrow, his attitude taking a full ninety degree spin from mopey to argumentative.

“Because you have phone calls to make. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you get your freaking drive thru,” Bill said as Dipper reluctantly handed him the keys before walking to the passenger side. “We’ll be back in a couple of days,” were his parting words to them before he closed the door and William drove off like a bat out of hell. Mabel didn’t even turn around to wave goodbye to them.  

“Sorry you had to see that. We still good to go?” Mabel asked, returning to her cheerful demeanor. _Oh, no_. She was not getting off that easily.

“Mabel, what was that about? And is _that_ Bill Cipher,” Pacifica asked, dead on. She wasn’t about to tip toe around this.

Mabel looked shocked for a moment then had a look of determination on her face, “Yes. That was Bill Cipher.”

“What?! And you let him drive off with Dipper?” Pacifica panicked but Mabel quickly calmed her down. “Don’t worry, it’s fine. He’s been treating Dipper better than I have recently,” she mumbled.

“What happened?” Pacifica persisted. She was going to get down the bottom of this and do what she could to make it better. She is a problem solver after all. After everything that happened in Gravity Falls ten years ago, her family had to make big changes and Pacifica helped prompt all of those changes. She was young but she had proved to her father and mother twice that summer that she had a good instincts.

They were shunned by other blueblood members of society for a while but Pacifica made sure that the public knew that there was no shame in their downgrade. As a matter of fact, she made a splash in the community about how humility can take you far because her father managed to almost get their wealth back to exactly where it used to be and they dared to be different and chose live contently and simply without all the _extra_ extravagance. Don’t get her wrong, it was still frivolous but it wasn’t nearly as bad as it used to be.

Mabel sighed heavily, “Look, can I tell you later? I just don’t want to get worked up over it again.”

Mabel’s tone was sorrowful so Pacifica nodded and put her arm over the brunet’s shoulders and began leading her back to the BMW. “Sure thing, as long as you promise not to bottle whatever it is up. Bad for the skin, you know.”

Mabel chuckled lightly. “Yeah, yeah. I know. But I do need to get a car today since Dipper is leaving town with his.”

“Well, that is the plan, but we need to make a pit stop at the mall first. I have some things on hold that I need to pick up today.”

“Sounds good. I could use some tooth rotting goodness so can we hit up the candy kiosk?” Mabel asked with her wide brown eyes already lighting up at the thought.

“You know, I could go for something sweet too, so I’ll actually insist on that,” Pacifica said cheerfully and was happy with the resulting genuine smile on Mabel’s face. Whatever she was going through was bad but Pacifica felt that she could help make it better. Mabel is in good hands.

\-------------------

Bill enjoyed the look on Pine Tree’s face when he peeled out of the driveway. “Bill, if you want to drive, you’re going to have to not do that ever again,” Pine Tree said seriously. Did Bill _actually_ take him seriously? No.

But still, he answered, “Whatever you say kid.”

Pine Tree huffed but pulled out his cell phone to call those idiots at the Sheriff’s Station. Bill was still a bit salty about them not including him in the case, but let it go since he had more important things to worry about. Like Hector. If Hector sees or senses Bill leaving Gravity Falls, it’ll cause him to worry about his plans failing. If Bill could make Hector nervous, he’ll start to get sloppy and slip up. All Bill needed was for his soon to be former hench-minion to reveal himself and then it’ll be all over.

Bill had the resolve to pump Sixer and Shooting Star for information, but for some stupid reason he felt the need to shield Pine Tree from all of this. Why the hell was he shielding Pine Tree? It’s not like the kid needed it. He had been through hell and back in the past forty eight hours and is taking it like the sturdy tree he is. Leaves only slightly rustled.

 Another thing about the situations is that Bill technically didn’t need him anymore. The demon is free to do what he wants. _But_ , the kid chose to save his life last night so maybe he could come in handy in the future? Yeah, that sounds right.

“Oh, um, if you’re sure then. Okay, see you soon. Thanks,” Pine Tree said before hanging up. Bill glanced in his direction. “Pit stop?”

“Yeah, they have some money for us since we worked this case for them,” Pine Tree said as he looked back downwards. The kid was obviously still sulking so Bill swiveled the car as he got in the drive thru line and Pine Tree’s face shifted from moody to panic. _Much better._

“Bill, what did I just say?” Pine Tree whined. _Ah, music to my ears._

“Oh, I’m sorry, I thought you wanted food,” Bill said while pretending like he was going to leave the que when Pine Tree threw his arms up in defeat. “No, I need food. Don’t you dare leave this line,” Pine Tree insisted with a scowl. Humans were so touchy when they were hungry.

Bill and Pine Tree consumed their crappy fast food and coffee on the way to the Sheriff’s Station. Pine Tree was notably in a halfway decent mood now and that made Bill feel a little better. Now he could joke and mess with Pine Tree and get more than a death glare as a reaction.

Bill parked the car and waited for Pine Tree to get out. “Aren’t you coming?” Bill rolled his eyes and gestured to his outfit. “Oh, right. You look a little _too_ Bill Cipher today,” Pine Tree muttered before closing the door.

Bill took a minute to formulate a plan. If Hector didn’t try and strike him down the minute that he and Pine Tree returned, he would have to draw him out. That means getting _all_ the details from Sixer and Shooting Star, forcefully if he had too. Pine Tree wouldn’t like that. Bill bit the inside his cheek until a familiar metallic taste coated his mouth.

This was frustrating to no end. Things were going accordingly to Bill’s plan but now the only person he seemed to be able to count on was Pine Tree. If Pine Tree wanted to, he could have let Bill die. When he was in the kid’s mindscape for that brief amount of time, the kid’s thoughts were a constant flow of _find the witch, find the witch_. Lying underneath those thoughts, _however_ , was a quiet stream of _save Bill, save Bill._ Those thoughts weren’t in the front of his mind, but there was no mistaking that they were there.

\---------------------------

Dipper awkwardly opened the door to the Sheriff’s Station. How he managed to open a door so awkwardly, he’d never know, but by gosh he did it. He walked into the lobby and saw Deputy Durland manning the front desk. “Pines! Good to see you! Blubs told me you solved that case we gave you. Nice work!”

“It’s not a big deal, and I did have help,” Dipper said, rubbing the back of his head shyly.

“Help or no help, we still owe you for it. Here,” Durland held out the check. It was a modest amount and was enough to get some clothes for his and Bill’s getaway at least. “By the way, I’m heading out of town for a couple of days so if you have a problem, you guys will be on your own for a little bit.”

“That’s no problem, Blubs and I have been handling things for years so I’m sure we can survive a couple of days without you,” Durland said cheerfully.

“Is that the Pines boy?” Blubs called from another room.

“Yeah, he’s out here! You wanna ask him now?” Durland asked as Blubs came barreling into the room. “Yes! We have a job offer for you!” Blubs practically yelled out. Dipper probably looked like a deer caught in the headlights. “What?”

“We want to offer you a spot working with us. You’re better at this supernatural stuff than we are and we could really use someone like you looking after the town,” Durland finished for Blubs.

Dipper’s mouth twitched upwards at the offer, “Oh- I well-“

“You don’t have to answer right away. We know you’re looking after the Shack this summer you wouldn’t have to start immediately either. You can take your time-“

“I’ll do it,” Dipper said enthusiastically. “I’ll do it! After I’m done helping Soos and Melody, I’ll work with you guys.”

Blubs and Durland exchanged happy glances. “Well, welcome to the force, kid.”

“Is there any special training I’d have to go through?” Dipper questioned eagerly.

“Actually with your credentials and your degree, we’re going to start you off as a salaried P.I. and you’ll move up the ranks as we see fit, but until then you’ll be paid for individual jobs,” Blubs informed.

“Is that a thing that even exists? I’m sure P.I.’s are supposed to come and go as needed and get paid by the job,” Dipper asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Shh, we’re working the system,” Durland joked with his index finger over his mouth and a wink. It warmed Dipper’s heart to know that _at_ _least_ these two were looking out for him.

Dipper said his goodbyes to the two law enforcers of Gravity Falls and had a smile on his face all the way back to the car. He opened the driver’s door with the same smile plastered on his face but spoke seriously. “Out. I’m driving.”

“Why, Pine Tree, I’m insulted. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you didn’t like my driving,” Bill retorted with his nose in the air. Dipper just stared at him until Bill finally decided to do an awkward shuffle to the passenger seat instead of getting out and around the car like a normal human being.

After Dipper got himself comfortable in the driver’s seat, he turned the ignition and immediately started heading towards the long country road that would eventually lead to the interstate, the smile never leaving his lips.

“What’s got you so happy, Pine Tree? Pay dirt?” Bill inquired.

“Actually, a job offer. They want me to work with them after we’re done with the Shack but until then if anything else pops up, I’ll be put on the case as a private investigator,” Dipper cheerfully informed him. “Though, since you’re helping me, I’ll be splitting the checks with you.”

Dipper was looking at the road, but could feel Bill’s eyes drilling holes into him. “What makes you so sure I’ll be helping you in the future?” That immediately dampened Dipper’s mood. It was stupid of him to think that; one: keeping the dream demon around was a good idea. And two: actually thinking about them working or doing anything together in the general future would be a mistake. Bill clearly wanted to leave after everything that happened and was sticking around for the sake of revenge.

“Sorry, I got a little impetuous, didn’t I?” Dipper asked, his mouth going dry. It unnerved him when Bill didn’t give him an answer.

After a few moments of silence Bill asked, “So where do you want to go, kid? Grants Pass and Medford are pretty close.”

“Actually, would you feel like going to Portland? We can see Soos and Melody. We can stay a couple of nights and see if we can catch the tail end of a music festival or go to the zoo?” Dipper suggested. Seeing some familiar friendly faces is definitely something that he needed.

“Sure, we’ll go do whatever the hell people in this dimension do when they feel like ripping off the head of anyone that looks at them funny. Remind me, what are human’s coping mechanisms again?” Bill asked, sounding genuinely curious.

“Well, normally they just ignore the problem for as long as they can and buy a lot of clothes and change their hair or get a tattoo. Then they go out and party to show off their new looks. But the healthy outlet would probably be-“ It was too late. Dipper accidentally set himself up for this and he knew it when Bill cut him off.

“Let’s do all of that, Pine Tree! I could go brown and you could go blonde! Or we could get matching tattoos!” Bill sounded excited, but the thought by itself exhausted Dipper.  

“No, no way. I do need a haircut, but I’m not dying it. Nor am I getting a tattoo,” he stated firmly but Bill nudged him to show he wasn’t ready to give up. “C’mon! Think of how fun it would be!”

“There is nothing fun about sitting in a chair for who knows how long and paying a stranger to tug on your hair or mark your body.” The second those words left his mouth, Dipper immediately regretted them with Bill started laughing. “I believe you’re thinking of a prostitute, Pine Tree! I just want a tattoo!”

“No tattoos! We will get some clothes since we didn’t pack shit for this trip. Especially some new jeans since I couldn’t get into your pants earlier.” Damn it, that’s twice in a row he set himself up. Dipper could practically hear Bill sucking in air to retort but he beat him to the punch. “Don’t. It’s too easy, even for you.”

“It seems to me like you’re the easy one, Pine Tree. I mean, you clearly had intentions with that girl the other night and then poor, unsuspecting me the next morning,” Bill countered dramatically, with a laugh. Dipper knew Bill was just being Bill and that the demon didn’t have the slightest sense of tact, but Dipper felt guilty over that whole mess with Carla.

“I should probably call her. I mean, I have too much going on to pursue any form of a healthy relationship but I should at least clear the misunderstanding,” Dipper said more to himself than to Bill.

“Why bother?” the demon asked.

“Because it’s-“

“It’s the right thing to do, I know,” Bill finished for him. “But clearly she would rather believe that we’re a couple and you’re a cheater than stay the night with you. What kind of issues do you think she has if that was her first thought? As a matter of fact, that’s a sign that she was using you to cheat on someone else and got swept away in her own guilt,” Bill stated pretty bluntly. Whenever it came to Carla, Bill seemed to be franker than usual and was quick to put her down.

“How can you be so sure? She might just have things going on in her life that we don’t understand,” Dipper defended, not willing to let his fleeting summer romance be sullied by the blonde asshole sitting next to him.

“I checked out her Facebook. I may not be omnipresent anymore, but I do know how to get info. They made up by the way, if it makes you feel better,” Bill said casually. Dipper’s mood officially dropped to a solid zero. He didn’t even feel like asking about who the hell decided that letting Bill be on Facebook was a good idea. _I’m so tired of being used._

They drove in silence for a while and Dipper could see Bill physically twitching. He obviously didn’t like the still silence so Dipper flicked on the radio. A popular pop song was playing and he had listened to and enjoyed before, but now he was put off by it. Figuring that he probably just heard it one too many times, Dipper flipped through the stations, not finding one song that he could stand to listen to. He went to his faithful CD player found that he didn’t like one damn song on it anymore.

“Pine Tree, if you keep making that face it’ll end up stuck like that,” Bill sang. “Why don’t I like music anymore?” was all Dipper could ask through his frustration.

“You’re music taste was probably influenced by others. Do you have an aux cord?” Bill asked. Dipper was ready to bang his head on the steering wheel at this new little discovery but answered the demon anyway. “Yeah, in the glovebox.”

Bill rummaged through the mess of papers in the glovebox before triumphantly pulling out the aux cord. Dipper watched as he plugged his phone in and scrolled through his music app.

When Bill hit play, Dipper was so genuinely surprised at Bill’s music choice that he laughed. “Sum 41? Really?”

“Hey, you’ve lost your music judging right a _long_ time ago, kid,” Bill said as he started using Dipper’s dash board as a drum set.

“Hey, I wasn’t judging. This just doesn’t seem like the kind of thing you’d like. I mean, I haven’t even heard this song since before the first time I went to Gravity Falls,” Dipper confessed.

Bill perked up, “Oh, you do know this song then! Sing the next part with me.”

Dipper wanted to say no, but Bill looked like he was having a good time, so he decided to momentarily throw his fucks out of the window when Bill turned to him and sang, “Be-“

“Cause-”

“You-“

“Don’t know us at all!” the two men yelled out and that was the last of the understandable words they said before their singing turned to gibberish followed by uncontrollable laughter.

Everything about the moment was so perfectly timed that Dipper finally felt the heavy weight in his chest lift a little. After that, the drive was pretty much smooth sailing from there on out.

During the four hours that Bill and Dipper were trapped in the car together, Dipper learned a bit about the demon’s wide variety of music taste all the way from alternative rock to orchestra music. In particular the _1812 Overture_ seemed to be one of Bill’s favorites and all the demon had to say for himself was, “Because how awesome is it that this guy used motherfucking cannons as a musical instrument!” Bill’s enthusiasm was starting to rub off on Dipper even though he thought his speakers and eardrums would pop because of how loud Bill insisted on keeping it for maximum enjoyment.

Dipper finally deigned the timing right to turn the radio down then they finally reached Portland. “Okay, the first thing we should do is find a hotel. Mabel and I stayed in a place off the interstate that was only sixty bucks a night. I think it’s a Motel 6? Call them and see if they have a room available.”

“No need, Pine Tree! I actually booked our accommodations on the way there,” Bill said while proudly waving his phone.

“Oh cool. Where I am driving?” Dipper asked, while keeping his eyes on the road. “A place called The Benson,” Bill said eagerly and Dipper almost swerved.

“Bill, I know you have a flair for the ritz, but there is no way I could afford to stay two nights there,” Dipper said as he remembered the heart attack he and Mabel almost had when they saw the prices for that particular place when they were searching for a hotel to stay at during Soos and Melody’s wedding.  

“Don’t worry, it’s on me this time, kid,” Bill shrugged. “Bill I can’t-“

“I _said_ it’s on _me_ this time.” Bill said finality. Sure. Why not let the dream demon who is officially allowed to make deals pay for the hotel?

When they arrived to the hotel, Dipper was suddenly glad that Bill had given him a collared shirt because this place was the very definition of extravagant and he still felt underdressed with his dirty jeans. The entire foyer had cream colored walls with Cherrywood paneling and everything seemed to have a marbled texture.  

Bill of course looked like he belonged here as he sauntered up to the front the desk. The woman gave him a dazzling smile as she handed him two room keys. Bill left her with a wink and then grabbed Dipper’s arm to pull him towards the elevators.

“We’re on the twelfth floor, room 1213,” Bill said as he pressed the button and tapped his foot impatiently as they waited for the elevator. “We don’t have to see the hotel room now, you know. We could go shopping first so we actually have luggage to put in there.”

“I’m tired. Let me sleep for an hour and we’ll go shopping,” Bill decreed. That’s when Dipper realized that he was actually feeling pretty tired too. Long drives were exhausting. They made it to Portland in good time though. It was barely three in the afternoon.

After they found their hotel room, Dipper was in awe of it. It was a suite with the same color scheme as the lobby. There was a couch and two chairs in the living area and off to the side there was a room with a king sized bed. The bathroom was huge and had one of those giant Jacuzzi tubs that could fit at least four people in it. _I guess I’m taking the couch since Bill paid for this._

Dipper watched Bill as he plopped onto the king size bed. “Pine Tree, this is so friggin comfortable, unlike those old beds in the attic! Come try it!” The brunet shrugged his shoulders in a ‘why not?’ manner and plopped down in the same way that Bill did on the other side of the bed. The bed was so spongey that Bill’s side tossed him up about an inch off the bed and the blonde started laughing.

“Do that again, Pine Tree! See if you can knock me off the bed!” Bill said, lying back down. “Mm, maybe later,” Dipper said, lying down with his arms behind his head, staring at the ceiling as his eyes started to close. Bill mimicked Dipper’s resting position on his side of the bed and lied still for a while.

Before Dipper could fall asleep himself, he heard light snores coming from the pillow next to his and took the chance to look at Bill. His face was practically fully healed from Dipper’s beating yesterday morning. It was good that Bill was healing so fast, but Dipper wondered why he didn’t just use his magic to heal himself like he did his chest.  

Bill’s choppy blonde hair was splayed out on the pillow and there were a couple strands covering his eyelids. Dipper wanted to reach out and move them and almost did. Almost. He had his arm raised and everything before he quickly brought it back to his side.

That feeling of wanting to touch Bill sent a sudden shockwave of realization that went straight down Dipper’s spine and shook his very core. It caused him to scramble out of the bed and take his place on the couch, far away from the demon.

There’s an attraction there. One that is not induced by brainwashing or by having an emotional meltdown.

_Frack me with a chainsaw._  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case anyone doesn't know what song Bill and Dipper rock out to in the car, it's called Fat Lip. That scene was inspired by a couple of my crazy coworkers who sing it together like that every single time I ride with them.


	18. Rolling in the Deep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mentions of drug use and a little bit of violence in this chapter.

Dipper paced back and forth in the extravagant lobby of the hotel for an indefinite amount of time before finally deciding to settle down in a chair in the corner. He couldn’t get tired enough to take a nap after his little realization so he decided to take a deep breath, sit down, and call Soos to let him know that he’s here.

“What up, dawg?” Soos answered cheerfully. “Hey, man. Guess where I’m at?” Dipper asked, already feeling better at the sound of his friend’s voice.

“The library? Seems like the kind of place you’d randomly be at,” Soos said earnestly.

“No, dude! I’m in Portland! William and I came to see you and Melody!”

“Forreal? Oh man, that’s awesome! How long are you in town for?”

“We’re just staying a couple of nights,” Dipper informed enthusiastically. He was glad to have something other than Bill to concentrate on.

“You guys should see the sights and visit tomorrow. Melody is resting. Well, technically she’s always resting since she’s been put on bedrest until the baby arrives, but what I actually mean is that she’s sleeping,” Soos informed him, sounding just as excited as Dipper.

“Yeah, that sounds good. Text me your address and we’ll stop by around noon tomorrow,” Dipper said with a smile on his face.

“Cool. Is Mabel coming with you? Melody wanted to tell her about a sweets shop she found nearby.”

Dipper froze. “Oh, uh, she actually couldn’t make it. She had to catch up on the backorders for her online store,” he lied. He was not ready to talk about what happened with anyone just yet.

“Oh, that’s too bad. I’ll tell you where it’s at if you wanna pick up some pastries to take back to her. She deserves it after all the hard work she’s doing and all with helping run the Shack and taking care of her own business. I really don’t know what I’d do without such good friends,” Soos joyfully stated. Dipper’s stomach turned. He was mad at Mabel, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t doing good for other people.

“Ha, uh, yeah. Just send me the name of the bakery when you send me your address and I’ll be sure to pick something up,” Dipper tried so hard to not sound uncomfortable.  

“Cool. I’ll see you tomorrow!” Soos hung up, leaving Dipper alone with his thoughts again. After checking the time on his phone, Dipper realized that he had been downstairs for almost an hour and a half decided that Bill needed to be woken up.

Dipper took a deep breath headed up to their room. The demon was now under the covers and looked totally serene. His face was completely relaxed, his mouth hanging slightly open, his hair still covering his eyes, and his chest moving up and down in rhythm. Dipper really wanted to move his hair out of the way, it’s been bugging him all this time but he denied himself.

 

As he looked at Bill, memories of when they kissed came flooding back into his mind. Dipper covered his mouth with his hand and looked away from the current object of his affection. Why did he just think that? Why is his mind putting him through this fresh hell that-

“Are you watching me while I sleep? I gotta say, Pine Tree, that’s a new level of creepy for you,” Bill stated groggily and Dipper thought that his heart would pound out of his chest. “U-uh, actually I was just coming to wake you up,” Dipper covered for himself.

“What time is it?”

 “Almost five in the evening. We should go get some clothes, and maybe a couple of toothbrushes and some toothpaste,” Dipper stated, taking a step back when Bill sat up and put his legs over the side of the bed.

“What’s wrong with your face?”

_Shit_.

“Nothing is wrong with my face. It’s just my face.” Dipper looked away again as Bill stood up. 

Suddenly Dipper felt warm hands pinching and rubbing his cheeks. His heartbeat resonated in his ears. He looked up at Bill who had a serious look on his face and Dipper started laughing. “What are you doing?”

“I’m trying to fix your face. You’re repressing things again. Willingly, this time.” _Oh_.

“Well, acting crazy isn’t going to fix the problem.” Bill dropped his hands from Dipper’s face and he hated himself when he wished they would come back.

“Why wouldn’t it? I mean it’s not like I’m going to judge you. Remember who you’re hanging out with, kid.” Bill stated determinedly.

“It’s not about being judged, it’s about handling things like an adult. If I acted on my first instincts, I would have packed everything I could and would leave forever but I can’t run away from the problem. Take a vacation, yes. But I can’t escape it forever,” Dipper strained to get those words out. He still wasn’t ready to deal with this.

“Geez, chill out, kid. I was just suggesting that you do what you want,” Bill said with his hands up defensively. “What I want is to get some new jeans and some food,” Dipper sulked, feeling embarrassed by his outburst.

Bill’s hand was on his shoulder to lead him out the door and Dipper flinched, very aware of the touch. Bill touched him all the time but now that Dipper realized his attraction it was as if every touch was intensified by tenfold. _Crap. Crap. Crap._

 

 

After an extremely long, exhausting, exasperating, and almost homicidal shopping trip, Dipper managed to come out of it with one pair of black dress pants, two new pairs of jeans, two t-shirts, and one button up. Bill tried to get him into something fancier but Dipper put his foot down after a long back and forth. _I swear, I think Bill just loves to argue for the sake of arguing._

Bill on the other hand had at least four huge shopping bags full of stuff. Bowties, dress shirts, belts, and couple pairs of pants. Yup, the demon was slowly becoming more and more materialistic. Dipper had to stop him from getting the top hat and cane with the argument that it wouldn’t match what he already bought. The demon would have to buy a tux for that kind of look and that would be way over the top.

“You were right about the cane and hat, Pine Tree. Wouldn’t want people’s eyes to start popping out of their heads because of my sheer gloriousness,” the demon stated proudly.

“You’re really pleased with yourself aren’t you?” Dipper asked rhetorically. Was it taken rhetorically? No. Because Bill loved to hear himself talk.

“Well, I’m not hiding when I walk in front of a mirror,” Bill said, throwing his bags onto the bed while Dipper set his bags down by the couch. “Of course you wouldn’t. You’d miss yourself too much if you did.”  

Instead of retorting, Bill jerked the topic in a different direction. “Let’s go out tonight, Pine Tree! Let’s see if we can catch some good night life.”

“Bill, it’s Monday night. There’s not going to be anything exciting going on,” Dipper complained but Bill wasn’t having it and stepped toward him to try and argue him down. “I beg to differ. Summertime college students are arriving in town today and I know for a fact that there’s going to be a band at this place called Crest’s Tavern that’s close to the university.” Dipper made a mental note to steal Bill’s phone and destroy it so he could stop making these ridiculous plans for them.

“Bill, you don’t hold your alcohol very well. I’m not driving over the river just to watch you make an ass of yourself,” Dipper sternly stated, looking at the floor. He felt an index finger tilt his chin upwards to look the demon in the eyes, “If you feel that way then I guess I’ll have to blindfold you.”

Dipper could feel his face heating up instantly and he started sputtering out nonsense. Bill tilted his head to the side, “You okay, Pine Tree? Not getting sick again, are you?”

Dipper took two large steps back and put his hands up, “No, not sick.” He held his fist up to his mouth as he cleared his throat. “If we’re going drinking, we’re using Uber. I don’t feel like driving anymore.”

The demon triumphantly put his hands on his hips and laughed. “I knew you’d come around Pine Tree! Put some clean clothes on and let’s hit the road!”

\-----------------------------

“He what!?” Paz spat out in utter disbelief. Mabel had just finished telling Pacifica everything. And I mean _everything_. From how Dipper got brainwashed to Mabel’s poor choices on handling the situation all the way up to the confession.

“You heard me. Ugh, if I knew that sooner, then I would have told Dipper right away and then we could’ve used his nerd knowledge to figure out how to undo it together,” Mabel complained and then looked into Paz’s eyes to finish the thought, “But the thing is, I’m just as guilty. I could have encouraged Dipper to do great things! But I selfishly kept him to myself because I was afraid that he would grow stagnant if I left him be.”

“I think you did the right thing by keeping him close at college, because what if he fell into the wrong crowd? He could have gotten into drugs or worse,” Pacifica rationalized.

“Yeah, but I still encouraged him to go into something other than Folklore and Mythology. He really had his heart set on that,” Mabel whimpered, distraught over the memories.

“Because you’re dad threatened to stop paying for his schooling if he didn’t choose something else,” Pacifica reasoned. “Oh yeah. How did you remember that and I didn’t?” Mabel asked, more to herself than to the blonde sitting on the sofa with her.

Mabel had a car picked out but she had to wait for her application to be approved so Pacifica was staying the night with her at the pool house and the girls were having this discussion over some ice cream. It was definitely a necessity for the stressful subject matter.  

Paz turned her head and blushed, “I just remember things you tell me, alright? But you need to stop beating yourself up, Mabel. You did the best you could under those circumstances. You made sure that both you and Dipper stayed motivated enough to graduate college and that’s a damn amazing feat.”

Mabel looked up from her bowl of ice cream. “You really think so?”

“Of course I do! And look at it this way, now that the secret is out and Dipper is fixed, what’s holding you back?” Pacifica offered up.

Mabel tilted her head back and forth in thought for a few moments. Suddenly, a great weight was lifted off her chest. “You’re right! Ha,ha! I don’t have to answer to Hector anymore! Dip Dop is back in action! I should be celebrating!” Mabel was ecstatic! With Dipper free, she was free too!

But, there was just _one_ thought weighing her down. “But, how can I get Dipper to forgive me? I mean, I know that things probably won’t go back to the way they were before but I at least want to try and make it up to him.”

“The only thing that’s going to heal your relationship is time. Give the man some space and once he calms down, you two can settle this like adults. The real obstacle you have facing you, is what are you going to do about your great uncle Ford?” Paz pressed.

Mabel chewed on her lip. “I don’t know. I’m so mad at him right now for doing that, all to destroy Bill! I hate Bill too, but dang it!” Mabel threw one of the throw pillows across the room. She was so mad that she wasn’t even going to make a pun about throwing a throw pillow.

“Breathe, Mabel. Work on getting on Dipper’s good side again and then together you two can decide what to do about Ford. How is Stan taking things?”

Mabel lowered her head in guilt. She hadn’t checked on Grunkle Stan since this morning. “I-I don’t know. I haven’t seen him since we stormed out on Ford. He’s probably hurting more than anybody right now.”

“It’s already late, so we’ll make sure check on him tomorrow before we leave,” Paz suggested and Mabel nodded. “Yeah, sounds good.” Mabel was extremely grateful to have Paz in her life. If she didn’t, she wasn’t sure where she would be right now.

\----------------------------

Dipper was pleasantly surprised when they arrived at the bar Bill was set on going to. It was small and had kind of a dive feel to it. It wasn’t too crowded yet either so they managed to get two seats next to each other at the bar.

A woman with dark brown hair wearing a purple tank top wiped the counter off in front of them and placed two napkins down. “Whatcha drinkin’ boys?”

“Um, a whisky sour,” Dipper ordered. “Make that two,” he heard Bill say. “Coming right up,” she said with a wink and promptly had their drinks in front of them.

Dipper passed her his credit card, “I’ll start a tab for the both of us.” The least he could do was pay for the drinks tonight since Bill was paying for that over the top hotel room.

“Sure thing, sweetheart. Just let me know if you boys need anything else.”

“So, this is what you did for fun in college, Pine Tree?” Bill asked as Dipper took a sip of his drink. “Not really. We weren’t legal to drink until our senior year, so if we wanted alcohol we had to go to a house or dorm party. One time my friend’s girlfriend mixed this weird drink called Alien Orgasm and I was on my ass after the first glass.”

Bill laughed at Dipper, “Sounds like you had fun, well circumstances and all.”

“Actually, I did. Even if I was brainwashed, I don’t really have any regrets as far as the people I interacted with. The only thing I regret is not spending more time on supernatural research or getting the degree I wanted,” Dipper sighed.

“Well, kid, you should count yourself lucky. You could have ended up doing some really fucked up shit,” Bill said as he finished his drink.

“Hah, yeah,” Dipper stared into his cup and reflected a little bit on the situation as a whole. There were lots of variables here to consider. But before he had a chance to consider any of them, the band started playing and he couldn’t hear his own thoughts anymore.

Dipper turned back to Bill, who was now engaged in a conversation with the couple that was sitting next to them. When Dipper leaned closer to Bill to hear what he was saying, the demon threw his arm over him and yanked him forward, “And this here is Pine Tree!”

Dipper pulled Bill’s arm off of him to prevent asphyxiation and introduced himself properly. “Actually the name is Dipper. Don’t let this idiot tell you otherwise.”

The couple shared a laugh. “Nice to meet you Dipper, I’m Sal and this here is my honey, Wes,” a woman wearing a crop top, skinny jeans, with bleach blonde hair introduced herself and her boyfriend (husband?) or whatever a ‘honey’ is, who was a tall muscly man wearing a plain gray t-shirt and cargo pants. “Pleasure is mine,” Dipper said, trying desperately to talk over the music.

“So you boys come here often?” Wes asked, keeping the conversation rolling. “No, actually we’re from out of town,” Dipper responded. “We’re just taking a couple days off to relax.” Not a lie. Running away from your problems can be quite relaxing for a moment.

The band adjusted their music and played something softer for the time being so it was getting easier to hear.

“Oh, us too! Me and my honey here are on vacation for my birthday week,” Sal proclaimed.

Dipper raised his glass, “Well here’s to the birthday girl.” Wes and Sal both raised their glasses and Bill hesitated for a brief moment as he figured out what they were doing and raised his glass as well.

“Cheers!” they all yelled before taking a swig from their glasses.

“Hey, how about a rousing game of ‘never have I ever’?” Sal suggested.

“Sure, that sounds fun, right Bill?” Dipper nudged Bill shoulder as he moved his barstool closer to the group.

Bill quirked an eyebrow. “I’ve never played. What are the rules?”

“Well, we take turns saying things we’ve never done and if you have done what was said, you take a drink. The winner is the one who still has drink in their cup. Or loser, depending on your point of view,” Wes explained.  

“I think I get it,” Bill said, nodding his head.

“Let’s let the birthday girl go first,” Wes said, putting his arm around Sal.

“Okay, okay. Um, never have I ever gone in public without a bra on,” she said cheerfully.

“Hey, low blow,” Wes feigned hurt before taking a sip of his drink like Bill and Dipper. “Well, a girl has to work things to her advantage. Dipper, you take the next turn.”

“Oh okay. Hmm.” Dipper thought for a brief moment. He didn’t really know anyone in this group really well, except for Bill but who knows what the hell he’s done during his infinite lifetime. “Never have I ever shoplifted?”

Sal and Bill took a drink. “What the hell did you steal?” Dipper asked Bill with a raised eyebrow. “Honestly? Gum.”  Dipper narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the demon, not really believing him.

“Oh, same here!” Sal laughed.

“Wes, you go next,” Dipper insisted.

“Okay. Never have I ever smoked pot,” he said proudly and Dipper and Sal both took a sip. “You smoked, Pine Tree? Shame on you,” Bill chastised and Dipper wasn’t sure if he was serious or not. “Yeah, well, you know how I used to handle peer pressure. And it was just once. Inhaling smoke is not really my thing.”

“Bill, you’re turn,” Wes said. Dipper leaned in and whispered in Bill’s ear, “Try not to freak them out, okay?” and Bill just swatted him away.

“Okay, let’s see! Never have I ever done something that I regret,” Bill stated convivially. All three of them took a drink and Dipper felt relieved that the demon was keeping up his front as a normal human.

The game went on for a good thirty minutes before Dipper was declared winner with some alcohol left in his cup, but it didn’t stay long. Dipper finished his drink with a swig and ordered a couple more drinks for him and Bill, Wes and Sal mimicking the action. This was actually going better than he expected. Bill was chill, Dipper was relaxed, and they had a couple of drinking buddies so Dipper didn’t have to feel the pressure of keeping the demon entertained.

After a few more drinks into the night and some pleasant conversation, Wes declared, “Let’s play pool, Sal!”

“Okay!” She cheerfully said as she hopped down from the bar stool. She stumbled a bit, but Wes’s large hands held her shoulders steady. “Save our seats boys,” she said as Wes led her to the last remaining pool table.

“Piiiine Tree,” Bill sang, leaning on his shoulder. Dipper was glad that they were drinking because the closeness that didn’t use to matter or mean anything to him whatsoever was suddenly making his cheeks go red. He savored having a temporary excuse for it.

“What Bill?” Dipper asked, sipping on some water. They had to be at Soos’s by noon tomorrow so he decided to take a step towards sobering up.

“Let’s get out of here, this stupid body is demanding more sleep,” Bill said wearily as he slumped more onto Dipper’s shoulder, his breath ghosting his neck. Dipper coughed to cover his uncomfortableness and flagged down the waitress to close his tab.

He then scanned the room for Wes and Sal. He at least wanted to say goodbye before they left but he didn’t see them at the pool table. Two guys in leather jackets had taken up that spot instead.

Dipper turned his head back when waitress gave him his card to close his tab and he gave her smile but it dropped as soon as he saw the charges. The bill was over two hundred dollars.

“Um, excuse me, this has to be a mistake. We only had maybe eight drinks between the two of us,” Dipper complained, Bill lifting his head to listen better.

“Oh, that couple you were with said you were paying for theirs too. And since you were together and they already left, I had to charge you,” she said, with a polite smile.

“What?! Are you kidding me right now?” Dipper pressed his palm to his forehead to keep himself from falling over. “Look, do you want to talk it over with my manager? I guarantee he’ll say the same thing though,” the waitress said and Bill’s weight was off of his shoulder.

“No, but next time, maybe check with the person who owns the card before cashing the tab,” Dipper spat out angrily before getting up. He looked for Bill and now he was gone too. _Shit_. This night just took a definite turn for the worse.

Dipper ran outside, trying to find Bill. There were a couple other bars on this street and the crowd was bigger than before. “Bill!” he called out, hoping that somehow, somewhere he could get the demon’s attention. He was way too drunk to be dealing with this shit.

Dipper paced up and down the street, calling out for Bill and not giving two damns about the looks people were giving him.

“Bill!”

\--------------------------------

Bill was having the time of his life, breaking this guy’s arm. How dare he steal from Pine Tree? Didn’t they clearly see that he and Pine Tree were out together? Bill had generously graced them with his presence and they so selfishly exploited his friend? No, he and Pine Tree had a more precarious relationship than that but Bill didn’t have time to muse about where he and Pine Tree stood but one thing was for sure, he didn’t trust anyone except Pine Tree anymore.

Bill let Wes’s little girlfriend get away and told her to consider it her birthday gift since he was in a good mood tonight.

  _Crack._

_Heh heh._ This was definitely a better outlet for his aggression.

“S-stop! I’ll do anything, just stop!” Wes pleaded in between cries of agony that only Bill could hear.

“Hmm, give me your wallet,” Bill demanded. Wes used his hand that wasn’t broken to toss his wallet at Bill. Bill dropped the man’s arm as he caught the wallet, then swiftly kicked the man down and held him down with his shoe while crushing his ribcage. He sifted through the wallet and only found forty bucks.

“Pathetic. You don’t even have enough money to pay my dear, sweet, Pine Tree back. Now how do you think he’s going to take it when I bring these peanuts back to him?” Bill asked as he felt ribs cracking under his foot and the man started screaming a little too loudly. Bill’s eyes flashed blue as he silenced the man.

“Oh, does that hurt? I’m sorry. Actually, I’m not sorry, I don’t regret anything, remember?” Bill said devilishly as he lifted his foot and prepared to bring it down on the man’s face, but a distraught voice made him freeze.

“Bill, what the fuck are you doing?” Pine Tree slurred before he grabbed Bill from behind and yanked him away from Wes.

“Come off it, Pine Tree. I was just getting to know Wes a little better. Namely, what kind of sounds his bones produce when I break them,” Bill giggled out. Man, alcohol sure made him giddy!

“You’re out of control! What if he presses charges?” Pine Tree whined.

 “Ha, he knows better than to do something as disrespectful as that. After all, we just got well acquainted enough for me to find out all of his dirty little secrets, right?” Bill flashed his eyes blue in a threatening manner and watched the complete and utter terror contort onto Wes’s features as he nodded vigorously since he couldn’t talk.

Content with that confirmation, Bill turned around and covered Pine Tree’s eyes with his palms before teleporting them back to the hotel.

Pine Tree threw Bill off of him and the demon stumbled backwards, tripping over the arm of the couch, and landing on his back, laughing. “I can’t believe you, Bill! You were doing so good, why the hell did you attack him?” Pine Tree garbled out, probably feeling a little more disorientated than before.

“Because he deserved it, Pine Tree! No one messes with you while I’m around,” Bill huffed out in between laughs.  

“Bill, I could have taken care of it myself. We should have gone to the cops, not take things into our own hands,” Pine Tree complained while crossing his arms.

“You’re right, you could have taken care of it yourself, but where’s the fun in that?” Bill sang as he kicked his feet back and forth over the arm of the couch, playfully.

“Ugh, what is wrong with you? And what’s wrong with me? What am I even doing?!” Pine Tree spoke angrily and seemed more frustrated with himself than Bill so he decided to work this to his advantage to put the human in a better mood.

Bill stood up from his spot and strolled over to Pine Tree and threw his arm over his shoulder and looked onto an audience that wasn’t there, “You’re hanging out with your best pal, Bill Cipher! That’s what you’re doing! Triangle and the Tree! Nice ring to it, don’t you think?”

Pine Tree struggled to get out of Bill’s grasp but Bill pulled him tighter, holding onto that warmth. “Why are you doing this? You’re way too touchy,” Pine Tree buried his face in his hands. Bill mulled the question over for a moment. _Why_ did he like touching Pine Tree so much? But then again, did he really need a reason?

“Cuz, I like you kid. You’re the only one with any sense around these parts.” Pine Tree removed his face from his hands and looked at Bill with flushed cheeks.  

Pine Tree was squirming more than usual and in a different way. Bill found it invigorating in his drunken state. Before Pine Tree could protest, Bill scooped him up and carried him into the bedroom of the suite. The demon tossed him onto the spongey bed and watched him bounce. Bill stared down at him and watched his face go from disoriented to panic.

Bill scrunched his nose. No. This isn’t right. Pine Tree was supposed to laugh. Could Bill’s sense of humor be inhibited while he was drunk? No, Bill is perfect. It’s Pine Tree that’s the problem.

Bill plopped down next to Pine Tree on the bed, “So what’s eating you kid? You look like you’ve swallowed a thousand bugs and didn’t get your prize money.”

“Nothing for you to worry about,” Pine Tree said with a pout, looking downwards. Bill grabbed the kid’s chin and forced him to look into his eyes, something Pine Tree had been avoiding doing since this afternoon. “Kid, I’m done with you dodging me. Tell me what’s wrong. Now.”

Pine Tree sat upright and looked the demon in the face. He looked like he had something really important to say. It was on the tip of his tongue. Come on, kid, you can do it.

“You’re an asshole when you’re drunk. Look, I-I’m going to sleep. I’m too wasted to deal with you right now,” was all Pine Tree said before hastily retreating back into the living area, closing the door behind him for privacy. Bill’s body didn’t have the energy to chase after him in this inebriated state. Any answers and consequences would have to come tomorrow. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, this was a tough one to get out. I have an unfortunate announcement to make. I'm getting scheduled 50 plus hours at work so I'm going to limit myself to one update a week for the sake of quality control. As a matter of fact, I might have to go back and edit this chapter later. This is just going to be temporary until we get some more people trained at my job. Not that I'm complaining about working, but I know I've kinda spoiled you all with several updates a week and I am pretty proud of being able that, so I hope I'm not disappointing you too much. You are all beautiful people and thank you for all the support you've been giving me! :D


	19. The Remedy

Dipper woke up feeling better than he thought he would. Thanks to the alcohol in his system last night, he was able to fall asleep pretty quickly and soundly. He pulled out his phone and looked at the time, noticing it was barely nine in the morning. Ugh, why did his body insist on being up so early?

Dipper pulled himself off of the couch and cursed how sore he felt. His body was exhausted after searching the streets for Bill and finding _him breaking a man’s arm, oh my god._ Was this how it was going to be? Bill slowly losing all the control he had now that the deal was broken? How could Dipper not think rationally about this? Why the hell did he ask Bill to stay? Why did he even agree to go on this road trip?

_Because you like him_ , a voice in Dipper’s head whispered. But this begged the question; did he like Bill, or the façade Bill put on for other humans? Was the face he showed Dipper regularly his true personality? Maybe the demon is delusional? No, he clearly has a tight grip on reality but chooses to dismiss it and he knows what humans consider right and wrong. He’s just a sociopath. After last night’s eruption, would he dare trust Bill around Melody?

The thoughts pounded into Dipper’s head one after another so he decided that taking a shower before waking the demon to go get breakfast would probably be best. He needed time to think about how to approach this delicate situation. Dipper was hurt and acted carelessly yesterday without an ounce of rational thought. Like seriously, how could the thought that Bill didn’t have a reason to treat any human kindly again not cross his mind? Not once. That was injudicious of him. Just because the demon currently regarded Dipper as a comrade didn’t mean he wasn’t in danger. No matter how stupidly nice Bill acted towards him.

Dipper tried to calm his thoughts as he uselessly tried to scrub himself with small amount of soap from the tiny bottles of product the hotel left for them. He knew he’d forgotten something when they went shopping yesterday. As a matter of fact, he also forgot his contact case and eye drops. At least Bill brought his. Dipper could leave his contacts in for one more night and use Bill’s eye drops to keep his eyes from drying out.

Dipper’s simple thoughts were soon interrupted by the sound of someone forcing the once locked door open. Dipper almost tripped up at the sudden sound, but managed to get his footing before falling completely over. The sound of someone wrenching their guts up into the toilet echoed with the pitter patter of the shower. Dipper was feeling a little vulnerable considering he was naked, but it’s not like he didn’t have to deal with this kind of thing in college so he peered from behind the curtain anyway, making sure his body was covered.

Bill was in his boxers and paying tribute the porcelain god. When Bill finally stopped puking all Dipper could think to say was, “Serves you right for breaking that guys arm.”

Instead of looking up at him, Bill just flipped him off with one hand and flushed with the other. The water in the shower suddenly got hot and Dipper yelped in surprise, but the water quickly returned to a normal temperature.

“Go downstairs and buy some water, it’ll help,” Dipper said, trying to get the demon out of the bathroom so he could shower in peace.

“You go buy it. I’m going to lie down on this floor for a minute, m’kay? Okay,” Bill mumbled while drooping slowly onto the cool tile.

“Bill, you can’t lay down here. Go back to bed and I’ll bring you some freaking water,” Dipper said, annoyed. Seriously, what was he seeing in this man(demon)?

“No.”

Dipper repressed his annoyed groan and finished rinsing off. He reached out for a towel (without opening the curtain) and dried off. He wrapped the towel around his waist and stepped out of the shower and carefully stepped over Bill’s legs.

Dipper grabbed the new set of clothes he set out for himself and quickly got dressed in the bedroom of the suite. He glanced at the bathroom door for a minute and sighed. Seriously, why was he inclined to be such a good person? He grabbed his wallet and went downstairs to purchase a couple bottles water, feeling a little paranoid when he stepped out of the elevator.

What if Wes had decided to press charges? They could easily trace Dipper and find Bill. If Bill went to jail, his chances of finding Hector were slim. Then again, the demon would probably just teleport out of jail and into Dipper’s car, like a popup book from hell.

Dipper grumbled quietly to himself as he walked back into the hotel room, toting two bottles of water, both to help settle the demon’s stomach. Bill was now splayed out dramatically on the couch, arm over his forehead and everything. _At least he’s fully clothed now._

“Oh, Pine Tree, water for me? You shouldn’t have,” Bill said with his usual derisive tone. “You’re right, I shouldn’t have. I am pretty pissed off at you after all.”

“What? Why?” Bill sat up quickly. _That got his attention._

“Really? You’re going to ask me that? Bill, you assaulted someone last night!” Dipper said, setting the waters on the coffee table.

“Because he stole from you! I got retribution on your behalf, you should be thanking me,” Bill tried to justify.

“Oh, gee, I’m glad my knight and shining armor was there to handle it,” Dipper spat out sarcastically. “Bill, I’m not a kid, I’m not an idiot, and I could have handled it myself. But now I can’t even report it in and try to get my money back because you almost killed him!”

Next thing Dipper felt were two twenty dollar bills being thrown in his face. Dipper’s arms flailed as he tried to catch them. “What’s this?”

“Courtesy of Wes,” Bill pouted, looking at the ground as if he was puppy and Dipper just kicked him. Nope. Nope, not going to let him get away with it.

Dipper put the money on the end table and looked at Bill. “Look, if we’re going to be working together to stop Hector-“

“I don’t need you,” Bill stated impartially.

“What?” Dipper’s heart almost stopped.

“I don’t need you to stop Hector. I’ve got a plan so you don’t have to lift a finger, Pine Tree. Just relax and let me take care of things,” Bill informed his face completely stoic. Ugh. Dipper really hated the demon’s poker face.

“I don’t want to relax, Bill. I want to have an active role in my life again and getting information on why all this happened to me is the main priority,” Dipper spoke with agitation in his voice.

Bill stood up from the couch and approached Dipper, “You don’t get it, Pine Tree. If Hector gets his grimy mitts on you too, then I’ll literally have no one left on my side. I can’t trust the other Mindscape demons, no siree Bob, and I certainly can’t trust other humans. Just. You.”

Bill’s gaze felt more intense than usual. The demon was really trying to make his point. Dipper’s cheeks began to tinge pink at the thought of being Bill’s only confidant but quickly shook off the notion. Being Bill’s only friend or not, it didn’t change what happened last night or Dipper’s current goals. He couldn’t let his feelings blind him.

“Bill, part of trusting me is letting me make my own decisions and know that I wouldn’t do anything to intentionally hurt you,” Dipper spoke with a shaky breath, taking a step backwards.

Bill took another step forward in synch with Dipper’s backwards footfalls. “I don’t get hurt. I do the hurting.”

“That’s not what the look on your face said yesterday.” Dipper was backed up against the door but held the demon’s gaze, not daring to look away.

“Kid, that was rage, not pain. I laugh at pain, remember?” Dipper did remember. Bill laughed the entire time he knocked him around the other morning. That’s why Dipper didn’t really feel lingering remorse over it because the demon clearly enjoyed it. _A little too much, if you ask me._

“This kind of pain isn’t funny. Bill, if you truly trust me, you have to believe I wouldn’t do anything stupid like run off and join Hector’s side or get myself killed,” Dipper reasoned.

The demon tilted his head to the side, “Oh really? If that’s the case, you’re going to be bait.”

“Bait?”

“Bait.”

“Why would Hector want me? I’m not-“

“Because if he has any sense whatsoever when it comes to strategizing, he’s going to try and take out my last remaining ally. When he does, I can strike,” Bill said, not waiting for Dipper to finish his thoughts.

Dipper closed his mouth tight and then opened it again, “Look, if you want me to remain your ally you can’t hurt people, especially on my behalf because all I hear when you tell me that it is for me, is that guy is traumatized because of me. His arm is broken because of me. He’ll probably have to go through therapy because of _me_ and I refuse to have that kind of burden on my shoulders even if you are _technically_ responsible for your own actions.”

Bill took a couple steps back, “Fine, Pine Tree. If you want to be a spoiled sport, so be it. I will not hurt other humans on your behalf and you won’t work with any other demons except me.” Bill suddenly held out his hand, engulfed in blue flames.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, how did we go from talking things out to making a deal?” Dipper said while waving his hands in front of himself defensively.

“Because, this is usually how it goes. You make a demand, I make a demand, and we shake on it. Or did you simple human brain forget that fact in the past ten years?” Bill said, mockingly.

“I didn’t forget, but I thought we were past this. If you really trust me you wouldn’t need a deal to cement my alliance,” Dipper said, letting out a sigh of relief when the flames waned. “You make a fair point, Pine Tree. But remember, if you betray me there is nothing in this earthly realm that will stop me from destroying everything you love,” Bill said with a sweet smile. A smile that made Dipper’s heart involuntarily thump, despite the threat that was being held behind it.

“Same but vice versa. I don’t assume you actually care about anything so I’d just have to flat out destroy you,” Dipper said with an eye roll.

“Now you’re thinkin’ like a demon, Pine Tree! Let’s get some breakfast,” Bill said as he grabbed Dipper’s wrist and dragged him out the door while Dipper contemplated on whether or not he should take that as a compliment. Either way, he and Bill had a mutual agreement and that was definitely a step in the right direction for them.

_Why did I even bother with those bottles of water?_

\---------------------------------

Pacifica watched as Mabel hugged her brand new, bright blue Prius and quickly jumped away from the glass because of the heat. It was unreasonably hot today so of course the windows would also be hot. Mabel was smart enough to know that, but didn’t seem to care.

“Thank you so much for driving me around,” Mabel beamed. “Yeah, no problem,” Pacifica said, while flipping her hair back over her shoulder. “So what do you want to do now? Lunch?”

Mabel tilted her head back and forth in thought for a moment. “Yeah, let’s go to Greasy’s. I want to bring Grunkle Stan some food too. I know he was in a better mood when we checked on him, but I really want to cheer him up some more.”

“Don’t forget you have some interviews later today thanks to that Craigslist ad we posted. Want me to stick around to help weed out the weak?” Pacifica joked.

“No, I’m just going to be looking for people that’ll get along with Dipper and Bill,” Mabel declared passionately, but Pacifica didn’t miss the pained look in her eyes. This was something Pacifica understood. She knew that she couldn’t just fix all of the brunet’s problems with a snap of her well-manicured fingers.

“You’ll find some people. And hey, you’re the one who will still be handling the paper work and inventory so you’ll have an excuse to go over there and butt in whenever you feel like,” Pacifica said, in an attempt to cheer her up. It was weird seeing Mabel _so_ beat up over something. Normally she could bounce back with a lot of vigorousness, but she seemed tired lately. Pacifica could tell she was scared. Scared that her brother might stop talking to her. Scared that he’ll trust Bill Cipher over her from now on. Scared that her family will fall apart.

Paz definitely understood the fear of having your family fall apart, but she managed to pull her family out of the dark, so maybe she could help fix Mabel’s? She was definitely invested into the situation enough.

But for now, Pacifica was satisfied with that tugged at Mabel’s lips and her own heartstrings for the time being. She made that smile happen and she planned on keeping it there.

“You’re right. I just wish that there was some way I could make it better faster though. In the past, making up with Bro-Bro had always been a breeze. He hasn’t called over texted since he left town,” Mabel sighed out.

Pacifica just shrugged her shoulders. “Don’t worry, he’ll be back before you know it. And besides, breezes are overrated anyway. They mess up our hair.”

At that, Mabel finally laughed, “You’re right. Wouldn’t want that, now would we?”

“Not at all,” Paz smiled.

 

\--------------------------

Dipper stifled a laugh. One of Melody’s Portland friends was visiting her today as well, and brought her baby with her. For a little while, Dipper held the baby and rocked it back and forth and then eventually Bill was forced to hold her.

“I don’t want to hold it, babies are disgusting,” he said in an unusually, un-charming tone of voice in front of other people.

“C’mon, it’s one of life’s most rewarding experiences,” Delilah, Melody’s close friend, insisted. Dipper was on the edge of his seat, not really fully trusting Bill with a baby but partially curious to see what would happen.

Bill’s eye visibly twitched when he held out his arms. Delilah placed her baby, Jewel, in Bill’s arms carefully while instructing him to use his arm to support her head because she wasn’t old enough to keep her head up herself.

The resulting scene in front of Dipper was hilarious. Bill was frozen solid while he held the baby, as if he was holding a turkey stuffed with dynamite.  After he realized that the infant wasn’t going to explode, he gave her a bounce. Two bounces. The demon eventually started rocking the baby carefully and looked entirely pleased that he did fuck anything up.

Then Jewel started crying and Bill had a horrified look on his face. “What did I do? Did I shake it too much? Did I break it? What do I do?”

Delilah laughed and took Jewel from Bill’s arms and said, “You did nothing wrong, Sweetie. She’s just hungry is all.” Delilah wrinkled her nose. “Also, I think she needs a change.”

“Oh, feel free to use the changing table we have set up for little Sophia over there,” Melody said, pointing with one hand at a pink and green changing station off to the side of the room with the other hand, patting her enlarged belly. “Oh, thanks,” Delilah said as she grabbed her diaper bag and walked over to the changing station.

“Nope, I’m out. Infants are gross,” Bill said, quickly retreating out of the room. Dipper watched him leave and held back a laugh. _Man, this exact moment made the trip worthwhile._

“Uh oh, dude, I recognize that look,” Soos said, elbowing Dipper.

“Huh?”

“That’s the same look you used to give Wendy,” Soos said quietly with a wink. Dipper looked up and was thankful that Melody was chit chatting with Delilah and thoroughly distracted.

“I-I don’t know what you mean,” Dipper tried to cover up, keeping his voice quiet.

“You can’t hide it from me dude. I know you,” Soos said proudly. He was right though, so Dipper just nodded his head in defeat. But Soos’ comparison to his previous crush on Wendy brought something into the light for Dipper. Actually several things. He should really keep a pro and con list handy.

First and foremost, the most immediate thing to worry about is the fact that just like his crush with Wendy, the moment, and he means _the_ _moment_ he realized he liked her, just like with Bill, he was falling to hard and too fast. He needed to slow his roll because Bill probably wasn’t going to stay in Gravity Falls after they defeat Hector. That was clear. Second, he tried hard to impress her. Way too hard. Like, he tried to be something he physically wasn’t, too hard. At least he seemed to grow out of that obstinate stage of overcompensating to impress. And third, he had no idea how to deal with this kind of awkward situation. What was he going to do or even say? _Hey, Bill, I know we’re kind of best frenemies over here but how about we take our love/hate relationship to the next level?_

“You’re right, but I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Dipper admitted quietly.

“Why not?” Soos said, taking the hint that this was just a conversation between them and kept his voice lowered. “I mean, it’s not like it’s a bad thing to like guys. I think it’s healthy to explore all your options, personally. William seems like a cool dude.”

“Oh. That’s actually not a concern that’s really crossed my mind. It’s just we actually used to know each other a long time ago and there’s a lot of baggage between us. Also, I have too much going on in my personal life to even consider a relationship,” Dipper admitted as much as he could without giving Bill’s identity away.

Soos nudged Dipper, “How about I go grab us a couple of beers and we’ll talk about this in the backyard.”

“Sure,” Dipper agreed, getting up from his seat. Bill had returned, peeking his head into the room, “Is it over yet?”

Dipper glanced over his shoulder to see the baby fully dressed again. “Yeah, it’s over. I’m going to chat with Soos, why don’t you try feeding the baby?” Dipper said as a joke and the look of terror on Bill’s face was priceless that it was so totally worth it. But then it suddenly stopped being a joke.

“Yeah, William! Come feed the baby, I just have to heat up the formula,” Delilah said. Dipper concluded that she was having just as much fun tormenting Bill and took the opportunity that presented itself to slip out of the room.

Dipper settled on the back porch steps and waited for Soos. The sun was still high in the sky, even though they’ve already been here for a couple of hours.

Dipper nearly jumped out of his skin Soos put an ice cold beer bottle to the side of his face. Dipper snatched the beer bottle and grumbled to himself while Soos laughed. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist.” Dipper’s lips twitched upwards again, “Yeah, yeah.”

Soos settled on the stairs next to Dipper and took a small swig of his beer before getting down to it. “So, just out of curiosity, but are you and Mabel fighting? Is that the personal life stuff that’s going on?” Yup, Dipper’s best friend could definitely tell something was off. So much for leaving him out of it.

“Yeah. I can’t go into detail about it, but I found out she did something bad. Real bad and I honestly feel really betrayed by it,” Dipper spoke quietly. He put the beer down and hugged his knees to his chest.

“Well, do you have all of the facts yet?” Soos asked.

“No, but I-“

“Did she make the choice to do this on her own?”

“I-I’m not sure. But-“

“Do you think she did it to purposefully hurt you?”

That last question threw Dipper for a loop. Mabel never did anything with the worst intentions. Sure she could be selfish at times and a little blinded by her goals, but she never ever once did anything to purposefully hurt Dipper. Dipper was seeing so much red at the time, that he barely noticed the hurt and regret that lined her eyes. There were still too many pieces to the puzzle to really say she was justified but she did come clean when she could have lied.

Ford on the other hand. He wanted to keep this a secret. He wanted to keep Dipper in the dark about everything and he had no idea why. Tomorrow. He would find out tomorrow.

“No, I honestly don’t think she meant to hurt me on purpose,” Dipper sighed out.

“Then give her a chance to make it up to you, man. It’s not like she’s a bad person, she just made a bad decision,” Soos spoke with a lot of wisdom and those words definitely struck a chord with Dipper. Sure, Soos didn’t understand the full gravity of the situation, but the unbiasedness of his opinion really helped to put things into perspective. Soos was kind and smart when it came to things like these, so Dipper was eternally grateful to have someone like him in his life.

“Yeah, you’re right. You’re getting wise in your old age,” Dipper joked and Soos elbowed him playfully.

“Hey, Soos.”

“Yeah?”

“You’re going to be a great dad,” Dipper said sincerely.

“Thanks, dude,” Soos said with a wide smile.

\-------------------------------------

“Pine Tree, how the hell could you leave me in there with that, _that_ thing! They made me feed it! Do you how stressful it is to hold one of those things when you have to actually care if you break it or not?” Bill was definitely in a ranting mood. Seriously, how irresponsible is it of Pine Tree to leave him alone with a tiny human? Bill couldn’t complain about it in full force in front of the other meat sacks, but now that he was alone in the car with Pine Tree, he could finally let out all of his agitation.

Pine Tree just laughed at the demon’s plight, “Yes, Bill. I completely understand. Mabel and I used to babysit for money when we were teenagers.”

“Then why in the twelve thousand, eighty-three, and a half dimensions would you ever, EVER wish that upon someone else? Was it to get back at me for twisting that guys arm? It’s done, Pine Tree, and forcing me to take care of an infant isn’t going to take it back,” Bill ranted some more.

“First of all, that was hardly taking care of a baby. You held it and fed it, that’s it. Secondly, if that was your idea of a punishment, then you got off pretty easy.”

“Whatever, let’s just get some food,” Bill demanded. Hanging out with Pine Tree’s friends caused them to skip lunch, so Bill’s stomach was getting angry at the lack of subsistence.

“Fine, but pick someplace cheap. I can’t really afford to spend much more on this trip,” Pine Tree stated inanely. Bill noticed that the kid’s hands were gripping the steering wheel a little tighter as his knuckles turned white. Pine Tree had calmed down as far as being angry at Bill for taking things into his own, more capable hands, but he was clearly suffering over the situation. Bill could have taken pleasure in the kid’s suffering, but for some reason he couldn’t bring himself to. _Weird_.

“Why don’t you pick the place, and I’ll pay,” Bill offered. “I don’t need you to pay for me, Bill,” Pine Tree paused before quickly adding, “But I appreciate the offer.”

The place Pine Tree picked was a quaint little barbeque shack. Since barbeque wasn’t really an option during his travels, Bill was eager to get his fill of it.

The second Pine Tree parked the car, Bill was out of it and impatiently waiting for the human to get a move on. After the kid locked the car, Bill pulled him by his wrist into the restaurant and the waitress quickly had them seated.

“Hey, what are you going to get?” Bill asked as he looked over an unfamiliar menu.

“Probably just a pulled pork sandwich with mac n’cheese,” Pine Tree said while staring at the menu. Bill scrunched his nose and decided that ribs would probably suit his own taste better.

The waitress checked on them a little more than when they usually went out to eat. She also seemed to lean towards Pine Tree a little more than usual. But that didn’t bother Bill. Not one bit. His eye was totally not twitching.

Though, Bill felt pretty good about himself when he realized that Pine Tree was paying more attention to him than to their too attentive waitress, so all was well for the time being. Though it was mainly because Bill continuously rambled on about some stuff that was never in the journals that resided in the forest, such as the Weeping Willows (like seriously, what do they have to cry so much about? They’re trees.), Kelpies, and Orthrus who resided in a cave underground.

Bill really enjoyed seeing that spark in Pine Tree’s eyes whenever the kid learned something new. Something about it made his chest constrict, but not in an unpleasant way. Bill felt a little, what’s the word? Aggravated, that he wasn’t the one that got Pine Tree to actually start smiling, but that soon to be oafish father was. This trip to get out of town was Bill’s idea after all, so he decided that the credit to Pine Tree’s heightened mood belonged to him anyway. But only Bill could cause that spark in the kid’s eye and that’s something he took pride in.

After eating, Bill went to the restroom because his body has unfortunate human needs. While Bill washed his hands, a worker was slowly refilling the soap dispenser with an industrial sized container of hand soap and a smile played Bill’s lips when he got a great idea on how to end his and Pine Tree’s trip on a high note.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel really happy with this chapter. I feel like the quality is definitely back up since I'm allowing myself to take my time with it so I hope y'all enjoyed it! You are all awesome for sticking with me this far! <3 But there's still a long road to be traveled my friends. ^-^


	20. Upside Down

Stan stood in front of Ford’s door. He took a deep breath and lifted his hand to knock, but stopped before his knuckles could tap on the door. He lowered his hand and walked about ten steps away before pivoting and finding himself back in front of his twin’s door. He repeated this action about ten times (a more accurate number is twenty-three, but who’s counting?).

Why was he nervous? Ford should be the nervous one. He’s the one that messed everything up.  They had a good thing going. They were on their way to living a nice and quiet life of retirees but still getting fulfillment from helping Mable, Dipper, and Bill get settled into adulthood. This was supposed to be the easy part.

Finally, after thirty minutes of repeating the same pattern, Stan worked up the nerve to confront his brother and knocked on the door. He didn’t spend thirty years trying to fix a portal to not be able to talk to him after all and now that he took a day to calm down, hopefully he could make Poindexter see things his way.

The door opened slowly and Ford had a look of relief on his face that was quickly replaced by steadfastness. “We need to talk,” Stan said as he forced his way past Ford. Ford closed the door and adjusted his glasses before turning around.

“I already know what you have to say and I-“

“No, you don’t know what I have to say Ford and you’re going to listen to me. Let’s sit down,” Stan said while pulling out the chair at Ford’s desk to have a seat in while Ford quietly sat on his bed and looked at Stan with apprehensive eyes. “I’m listening.”

“Look, first and foremost I have to ask, do you think what you did was wrong?” Stan asked, seriousness coating his face.  “I’m not an ignoramus, Stanley. I’m fully aware of the moral quandary of the deal I made with Hector,” Ford snapped back.

“Look, I’m not here to bust your balls or anything. You’re a fully grown man capable of making his own decisions. But what I really want to know is do you want to make things right?” Stan asked.

“Right? What do you mean right? You mean let Bill walk all over us? You might not realize this Stanley, but Cipher is a master of the long con. Hector isn’t as powerful as Cipher, so if we attack him right after he takes Bill out, then we could be rid of them both! No more demons,” Ford exclaimed.

“But at what cost, Poindexter? You allowed a demon into Dipper’s mind. No matter the circumstances, that’s unforgivable. Now I’ll ask you again, do you want to try and make things right?” Stan questioned one more time, standing up now to tower over his brother. Ford had a frustrated look on his face as he contemplated. Stan was about to say something snarky and walk out on him, but a quiet, “Yes,” invaded his ears.

“And you’re sure?” Stan asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes. I don’t regret the decision to eliminate Bill, but I do regret dragging Dipper and Mabel into this. I owe it to them to at least try and rectify my mistakes,” Ford crossed his arms and abashedly admitted.

“Good. Pack your bags, we’re going demon hunting tomorrow,” Stan asserted. “We’re going to take down Hector, and I’m going to see if I can talk to Bill and bring him back around to our side. If we’re lucky, he’ll still avoid recreating Weirdmageddon.”

“But there’s no guarantee that he won’t lie-“

“It doesn’t matter. He’s told more truths than you have, lately,” Stan said coldly. “Now we’re going to do right by all three of them. Dipper, Mabel, _and_ even Bill, understand? We’re the _good_ guys, Ford. Don’t forget that.” _Says the con man._ Though that didn’t really apply to him anymore.  

“Fine, we’ll go track Hector. I have an idea on how to bring him down, but it’ll take some time to map everything out,” Ford stated, still sitting cross armed on his bed. As Stan went to leave his room he gave his brother one last glance and said, “Don’t think that this means you’re off the hook. You owe an apology to Dipper and Mabel and we’re going to have a long talk after we get this Hector business sorted out.”

\-----------------------------------------

“Bill.”

“Yes, Pine Tree?”

“Could you please explain why you’re making us walk around this park at ten at night?” Dipper asked in his most convincing, serene sounding voice.

“Patience is a virtue,” Bill said, sounding a little _too_ giddy.

Dipper snorted, “And what would _you_ know about virtue?”

“I don’t know, but humans seem to care a lot about it,” Bill replied, equally sarcastic.

“What are we even waiting for? We should get to bed early tonight, we have a long drive tomorrow,” Dipper complained. The demon was really trying his patience as they looped around back to where they had the car parked for the twelfth time. Dipper had been thinking about starting an exercise routine again, but this was a bit much. They had to have already walked at least five miles.

“Oh good, we’re the only ones left!” Bill exclaimed as he ran towards Dipper’s car.

“Seriously, you wanted to be the last ones here? Why on earth- Bill what is that?” Dipper asked with wide eyes as Bill pulled out the biggest container of hand soap he had ever seen in his entire life.

“This is a basic, but classic human prank I’ve been dying to try!” Bill enthusiastically explained.

“Is this why you rushed us out of the restaurant? I thought, well, actually never mind what I thought. What do you plan on doing with that?” Dipper asked, quickly changing the subject back to the soap. When Bill came out of the bathroom, the waitress was in the middle of asking for Dipper’s phone number and Bill pulled him out of there pretty forcefully before he could even answer. Part of him thought (hoped) that Bill was a little jealous, but it was pretty clear that Dipper’s feelings were one-sided. _Ah, memories._

“You know that giant fountain in the middle of the park?” Bill asked and Dipper automatically saw where this was going. “Are you serious? You made me walk until my legs were ready to fall off just so you could soap up a fountain?” Dipper asked, thoroughly annoyed now.

“That’s right! It’s another thing to check off my human bucket list,” Bill announced. Dipper quirked an eyebrow, “Human bucket list?”

“Yeah. At first I was really sour about being a human, but then I met this girl in tropics who said I should make the best of my time on earth and start a bucket list,” Bill explained. Dipper felt a pang of jealously. An irrational jealousy, because Bill was probably never going to see that girl again, but still, there was a pang.

“Okay, okay. I guess we can be twelve years old for a night and put the stupid soap in the stupid fountain,” Dipper said with an eye roll as he walked with Bill back around the sidewalk until the came across the grand fountain.

The fountain itself was magnificent. It had a mosaic-like texture and several water spouts in a circle with one really big spout in the center. “Let’s set our phones down here.” Dipper turned his attention from the fountain to Bill, who was now tossing his phone down on his discarded shirt before he began rolling up his pants legs. “You know you could just pour it in from here. The bubbles would still form.”

“I want to get close to the spigots so it’ll spread faster. Take off your shirt and help me,” Bill demanded. “How about I watch our stuff and you play in the water,” Dipper said, turning his head away from Bill. That was a mistake because suddenly Bill was had him by the collar with one hand, and was unbuttoning his shirt with the other. A mistake was made when he chose to wear his new button up to visit Soos today.

“B-Bill, what are you-“

“C’mon, kid. Live a little,” Bill said as he expertly finished snapping the buttons off, he then spun Dipper around and yanked the shirt off of him before he could react. Even if he did get his reaction out fast enough, it wouldn’t have meant much anyway because it came out in confused sputters as Bill dropped Dipper’s shirt next to his.

“Phone please,” Bill said with a smile while holding out his hand. Dipper gave him a disapproving look. “I will go into your pockets if I have to,” he insisted so Dipper reluctantly surrendered his phone to the clothes pile and kicked off his shoes.

Bill stepped onto the edge of the fountain and waited for Dipper to finish rolling up his pants legs as well. _I am a twenty two year old man who is about to make a bubble fountain with a dream demon that almost caused the apocalypse. What am I doing with my life?_ Dipper asked himself in his mind to see if it sounded as ridiculous as he thought it would. It did. Hell, with all these childish antics he might as well start calling Bill Drop Dead Fred instead. Well, actually no. Surprisingly enough, Bill isn’t _that_ bad and other people could see him so Dipper should really count himself lucky.

Bill held the large bottle of hand soap in one hand and held out the other to Dipper. Dipper grabbed his hand and was hoisted up to the small ledge and Bill grasped his hand tightly. “Um-“

“So you can’t chicken out on me,” was all Bill said as he dragged them both into the calf-deep, somewhat cold fountain water.

Coins dug themselves into Dipper’s heels as he stepped forward with the demon. Bill held out the container of soap to Dipper. “Pop the lid for me?”

Dipper slowly lifted his hand that Bill currently wasn’t holding to twist off the cap. Once off, Bill lifted it up and dumped the entire thing over one of the spigots that were currently spraying water. The result was exactly as Bill had planned. Bubbles started overtaking the fountain quickly and Dipper tried to back away before they could reach his pants, but Bill pulled him back forward with a mischievous glint in his eye.

“Bill, come on, I just bought these pants,” Dipper complained, trying to back away again, fruitlessly. Bill discarded the empty soap container and pulled Dipper forward and grabbed his other hand as well. “You should have thought that through before hanging out with me.”

Dipper quickly dipped their hands into the bubbly concoction underneath them. The slipperiness didn’t disappoint as Dipper managed to slide his hands out of Bill’s, and he took great satisfaction in outsmarting him. The bubbles were officially over his knees, but he could save the rest of his pants if he was quick.

“Hey!” Bill shouted from behind Dipper and he felt a hand on his shoulder, wet fingernails digging in and yanking him backwards. “Ouch,” Dipper managed to yelp out as he turned to slap Bill’s hand away but his wrist was grabbed mid-movement and soapy was water was splashed in his direction, completely soaking his pants. “Now you have nothing left to fight for, so you might as well enjoy this with me,” Bill stated as if he had won something. 

“Well, you know what they say about messing with a man who has nothing left to lose,” Dipper slyly spoke as he flat-handed the water to make a large splash in Bill’s direction, completely drenching his jeans as well.

Naturally this resulted in an all-out splash war that years of swimming with Mabel prepared him for, until they were both covered in the soapy substance and on their butts laughing in the water. Bill’s laughter sounded really harmonious to Dipper. Sure, it didn’t have that echo it used to have, but it was still undeniably Bill Cipher’s laugh.

“See, Pine Tree! Wasn’t that better than going back to that boring hotel and sitting around?” Bill asked while getting to his feet and waving some of the bubbles away.

“Dude, you spent a lot of money on that ‘boring’ hotel, so it wouldn’t have bothered me to hang out there. But, you’re right, this was fun,” Dipper admitted while trying to get to his feet as well, but continuously slipped in the same spot. Everything was extra slippery with the added soap, making it almost impossible to stand.

Bill, once again, held out his hand. Blue flames surrounded his arm as quickly as they went out, leaving his arm completely dry. Dipper reached out and they both clasped each other’s wrists, Bill being able to grip tighter than Dipper. Dipper made it to his feet but the second he was on them, his heels slid forwards and sudden he found himself grasping Bill’s shoulders and Bills hands were on his upper back, nails pricking him uncomfortably to keep a grip.

They locked eyes for a moment, as they held their awkward position for an uncomfortable amount of time because if they moved, they would both slip. Dipper could have sworn he saw a yellow flicker in the demon’s eyes. Bill slowly slid one of his hands up Dipper’s back and to the back of his neck but the moment Dipper lost that support his feet slid out from under him and he fell back onto his ass in the soapy water, getting a mouthful of bubbles.

“Ugh, screw it! I’m crawling out of this thing!” Dipper spat, getting on his knees and inching his way to the edge of the fountain. He hoisted himself over the edge of the fountain and looked at Bill, who was standing there with a flabbergasted look on his face. “You coming?”

Dipper’s words snapped the demon back to his usual wide smirk and impish eyes. “Sure thing, kid. I think we should go get _cleaned_ _up_ ,” he laughed at his own joke as he took careful steps to get out of the fountain as well.

\-----------------------

Bill paced the hotel lobby alone. There were a lot of things to think about, like how to deal with Hector. As far as destroying him goes, it would be difficult to do in this form and with limited access to the mindscape. Sure, he could hop into Pine Tree’s mindscape but that’s about all he could do for the time being and only because the kid was a willing participant. Another thing to consider with Hector is that he is able to use his powers in a vessel. He teleported him and the witch the other night and he shouldn’t have been able to that.

See, Bill _would_ have been thinking about all these things, _however_ , there was music coming from down one of the hallways. Bill recognized the familiar Nat King Cole tune. On a loop. For the past ten minutes. Okay, this had to stop.

Bill quickly stepped down the hallway to give whoever was playing that music a piece of his mind, but when he slammed the door open to a grand ballroom, Pine Tree was the only one in there and was practicing a dance all by himself. He was dressed in one of the semiformal outfits Bill picked out for him, but he could have sworn that Pine Tree rejected that particular outfit. Bill could feel a heat form in his cheeks but he didn’t quite understand why. What he _did_ understand was that he definitely wanted to dance with the human standing in front of him.

Pine Tree looked flustered when he heard the door slam open and saw Bill standing there. “A-ah, Bill. Um, what are you doing here?”

Bill smiled and stepped towards Pine Tree, “Well, kid, I could sense your pathetic dancing from all the way down the hall and decided that I’d be so generous as to offer you a hand.” Bill extended his hand and Pine Tree hesitantly took it. The moment that his hand touched his, Bill snapped his hand closed like a bear trap and pulled Pine Tree close.

“Let’s start with a simple box step, shall we?” Bill only asked as a formality as he started leading Pine Tree around in a circle before the kid could even respond. “Try and find one thing in this room to focus on so you don’t get dizzy, like that vase over there.”

“But, Bill, all I can really focus on is you right now,” Pine Tree stated, shyly, ducking his head but still looking at Bill. “Well, it is only natural that I’m what catches your eye, but I can’t have you falling over on me,” Bill smoothly answered.

The two danced in circles for a little while when Pine Tree suddenly let go of Bill’s hands and stepped backwards. He had a certain crazy gleam in his eye that the demon couldn’t decipher when suddenly the music got louder.

As if on cue with the words of the song, Pine Tree dug his nails into his own chest and pulled out something fleshy and beating. He held it out to Bill and whispered inaudibly with the song. Before Bill could reach out and grab Pine Tree’s heart, he sat up in the hotel bed, drenched in a cold sweat.

Bill had a dream.

Bill Cipher had a dream.

Bill Cipher had a dream about a human.

The human that was sleeping in the other room. Wait, what if he just got mixed up and landed in Pine Tree’s mindscape? That could be a plausible thing that happened. Bill quickly got out of the bed and rushed into the living area of the suite so see Pine Tree actually sitting up, writing something in a notebook he bought yesterday with the lamp on.

“Are you okay?” Pine Tree asked, a worried look washing over his features.

Right. Composure.

“Of course I’m fine, Pine Tree. As a matter of fact, I’m the definition of perfect. What are you doing up, mister ‘we should go to bed early’?” Bill stated, quickly regaining control over his features. Pine Tree couldn’t know that Bill was dreaming. What would he think? Bill being unable to realize that he was having a dream was downright embarrassing. Well, not _really_ embarrassing because Bill Cipher never feels humiliation.  After all, Bill is an all-powerful dream demon who had complete control over the mindscape.

Well, that’s currently not true, he barely has any control. He can only get into Pine Tree’s mindscape because he happens to be a willing contributor. But Bill couldn’t even think of letting Pine Tree know he has fallen so far as to have a _dream_. Not that it mattered what Pine Tree thought. At all. Because he was just Bill’s little helper for taking down Hector. Either way, this kind of weakness wasn’t an option for Bill. He had to do something to make sure it never happens again.  

Another question Bill tossed around in that ol’ noggin of his was what if Pine Tree was what caused this? Would his human body involuntarily react this way with any other human? Sure, they had a _moment_ when Bill found out Pine Tree had been brain washed and his body reacted the way a human body would react in that situation, but days have passed and Bill still found himself with certain urges and there was a powerful one that crawled across his skin at the fountain and since that moment, Bill found that he couldn’t really concentrate on anything. Mindscape, Hector, and now even sleeping. Nothing. Nothing but Pine Tree seemed to enter his stupid human mind.

 There were too many variables to come to a good conclusion on this subject. Bill needed to test to see if it was him or Pine Tree causing his human body to react this way and that meant he needed to get that close to another human.

“Huh, oh. I’m just making notes on the Raven Mocker and Night Raven before I forget anything,” Pine Tree said while sitting up from his lax position on the couch and successfully pulling Bill from his deliberations.

“At three in the morning, kid? You sure know how to commit, huh?” Bill said, striding over to Pine Tree and taking a seat next to him to see what he had written down. “They’re Scandinavian.”

“Huh?”

“Night Ravens. They’re native to Scandinavia,” Bill informed. “Oh, interesting. I wonder how the witch managed to get one here,” Pine Tree said as he scribbled what Bill said down.  

“I imagine she had help,” Bill said with a hint of agitation in his voice.

“Well, we’ll just have to ask Hector about it when we finally confront him, huh?” Pine Tree laughed, trying to make light of the situation. A silence pulled itself over the room for a few moments before Pine Tree piped up again. “So, what are you doing awake?”

“Can’t sleep.”

“Me either. I’m kinda nervous about tomorrow. I’ll have to confront Ford and Mabel when we get home so we can finally get all of the facts.” Pine Tree fumbled with his pen as he spoke.

“I can get all the facts myself if you’d rather not deal with it,” Bill offered right before his body for him to yawn involuntarily. He leaned on Pine Tree’s shoulder as he started writing again and watched as each letter was etched into the page.

“No, I want to be there. They’re my family, I shouldn’t be afraid of them. But I do have a question,” Pine Tree said as he stopped writing. Bill closed his eyes and muttered out a quiet, “Hm?”

Bill could feel the sigh the kid let out. “Nevermind. Why don’t you go back to bed?” Pine Tree asked and Bill didn’t move. “M’fine here.”

“Bill, if you’re tired, just go to sleep in your bed,” Pine Tree whined but Bill didn’t care. As a matter of fact, he pulled his legs up onto the couch and rested his head on Pine Tree’s thigh just to spite him. He heard scribbling in the notebook again, so Bill smiled with the gratification of winning and drifted in and out between sleep and the waking world. At one point Bill could have sworn he felt fingers running through his hair and massaging his scalp. That was enough to calm his human heart to a rhythmic pace to finally send him fully into a dreamless sleep.

  

\--------------------------

Mabel was feeling pretty pleased with the amount of work she got done these past couple of days. She bought a car, found two new hires for the Mystery Shack, Marty and Clara, two teenagers who are just looking to make a little extra cash this summer, and today she managed to finish most of her online orders.

 Mabel was in the middle of sewing a custom skirt for her last order of the day when she heard a car pull up. She tilted her head to get view out of the window and saw Dipper’s car. Quickly abandoning her project, Mabel ran outside.

“Dipper!” she called out as he got out of the car. She stopped herself from running up and full on glomping him. She wasn’t sure how thin the ice was still and didn’t want to try her luck.

He glanced up at her and gave her what Mabel hoped was a heartfelt smile. “H-how was your trip broksy?” She asked, trying to be as cool as a cucumber.

“It was good, Mabes. Um, actually, can I talk to you alone?” Dipper asked as he approached her but Bill pushed him out of the way and wrapped an arm around her shoulders instead, “Sorry, Pine Tree! I have dibs on her first! Why do you go find the old geezers and we’ll have a pow wow in the pool house.”

Dipper glanced between the two of them. The fact that Bill wanted to revenge for her little stunt a few days ago, crossed her mind but she doubted that he would actually do anything. If he was going to do something awful, he would have just done it instead of running away with her brother.

“Uh, I-“

“It’s cool, Dipper. Go get Grunkle Stan and Ford and we’ll catch up soon,” Mabel stated, trying to ease her brother’s worry.

“Are you sure? Cuz I can just text them if you-“

“She said it’s fine, Pine Tree. Beat it,” Bill said as he turned Mabel around and pushed her towards the pool house. Once inside she turned to look at the dream demon and found him staring at her face.

“Uh, Bill? I assume you have something to talk about?” Mabel asked, trying to get the demon out of his blankness. Bill suddenly grabbed her by her back and dipped her as if they were dancing and brought his face so close to hers that their noses were touching.

Mabel didn’t speak. She too busy holding her breath. They stayed like that for a few awkward moments when she was suddenly she was dropped to the floor and Bill looked annoyed. Why the heck was he annoyed? Mabel is the one who should be annoyed with him.

Mabel stood up from the floor and brushed herself off. “Mind telling me what that was about?”

“An experiment. I held Pine Tree the same way the last night and it made me feel atypical. You didn’t yield the same results,” Bill stated in a disappointed tone.

“Huh,” was all Mabel said, awareness washing over her.

“What?” Bill asked at her contemplative noise.

“Oh nothing,” Mabel sang out.

“What is it?” Bill growled. This was getting fun.

“I know something you don’t know,” Mabel teased. This was probably dangerous, but she couldn’t help it. It was obvious now why Bill was so clingy to Dipper. He has a crush. Why the heck didn’t she see it before? All the signs were there!

“Spill it, Shooting Star,” Bill said while putting one foot forward.

“Even if I tell you, you’ll just deny it anyway,” Mabel shrugged.

Suddenly he grabbed her by the collar of her sweater and said in the most calm voice she’d ever heard the demon speak in, “If you don’t tell me what you’re thinking I swear that even Pine Tree won’t-“ he stopped midsentence and let her go, but she didn’t need him to finish thought to know that it ends with something like, “won’t be able to find all the pieces,” or something very similar. Instead of finishing the thought, the demon crossed his arms and turned his head away from her.

“Bill, I would tell you, I swear I would, but it wouldn’t even mean anything unless you realized it yourself, you know?”

“No, I don’t know. Do you understand how frustrating it is to be an all knowing demon and not know something?” Bill seethed.

“Sorry, Bill. But if you feel weird towards Dipper, then he needs to be the one you talk about it with,” Mabel gave him a light pat on the shoulder. He grumbled angrily, but nodded nonetheless.

 The sound of a car starting made both of their heads perk up. Dipper was peeling out of the driveway and Mabel’s phone beeped with a text message.

“Where does Pine Tree think he’s going?” Bill asked while swinging the front door back open. “I don’t know,” Mabel replied while looking at her phone. She had a text message from Dipper.

_Khfwru kdv rxu Juxqnohv. Kh wrog ph wr jr wr wkj udyhq prfnhu’v kxw dorqh. L’p jrlqj wr wub dqg wulfn klp. Zdlw wkluwb plqxwjv ehiruh iroorzlqj ph._

“Geez, I can’t even read this,” Mabel complained and Bill snatched the phone from her hands. “Clever, kid. Though the code is unnecessary. It’s not like Hector can tap phones or be unable to read this if he saw it,” Bill scoffed.

Mabel started to panic, “What do you mean? What’s going on?”

“Gather up your friends, Shooting Star. We’re going to hunt down Hector and I have a plan,” Bill said with a wicked smile and a wink.

“And you trust me?” she asked with wide eyes. “I don’t trust you to _not_ stab me in the back, but I _do_ trust you to not do anything that would hurt Pine Tree. And if you mess up, he will get hurt. Very. Very. Badly. Along with your Grunkles,” Bill said with a serious tone.

“Okay, we’re going demon hunting,” Mabel said with the same connotation. There was no way she was going to let Hector come between her and Dipper again. Never again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *bounces up and down* Aaaaah, I'm so excited for the next chapter, you guys don't even know. xD Oh wait, you probably do know. One thing to know is that half this chapter was self indulgent fluff, haha. Thank you for the lovely comments and I appreciate each and everyone one of you who is taking the time to read this! :D I'm going to have more free time this week so *crosses fingers and hope I don't jinx it* I may be uploading twice this week.


	21. Walkin' After Midnight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some gore in this chapter.

                Dipper was extremely thankful that he never took his backpack out of his car because the _last_ thing he ever expected was to be yanked out of reality and shanghaied into the Mindscape by Hector who, by the way, didn’t even have the decency to even make an appearance, but instead just simply instructed, “Meet me at the witch’s hut alone or Stan and Ford will suffer by my hands.”

It was forward and to the point, but also didn’t leave Dipper time to ask questions, like why did he need to be alone? Wouldn’t it be more strategic to ask Dipper to lead Bill into a trap in exchange for his Grunkles’ safety? How in the hell did he capture Stan and Ford?

While Dipper wasn’t stupid enough to go alone, he didn’t want Hector to do anything rash before he arrived so he sent Mabel a text in code to let her know what he was doing and where he was going. Even if she didn’t understand the code, Bill certainly would. He hoped.

Dipper was pulled out of his worries when he saw the familiar run down shack that he and Bill had stayed the night in just a few days ago. He was starting to miss his bed. It’s been three days since he’s slept in his own room([s] because he had one at the Shack and the pool house) and Hector couldn’t even wait five minutes to call Dipper out since he came back into town.

Dipper took a few hesitant steps towards the hut but Hector saved him the trouble of walking into the building when he appeared out of nowhere directly in front of Dipper with an audible _pop_. _Once again, demons are literally just pop-up books from hell._

 He wasn’t quite what Dipper imagined, but his identity was pretty obvious. Red eyes, red hair, a dark suit and a tacky bright blue tie and was of medium height. Not really menacing, but Dipper knew better than to be presumptuous about these things.

“Well, nice of you to join me, Dipper. I don’t think I’ve properly introduced myself to you yet. The name’s Hectorgon, but you may call me Hector for short,” Hector said, holding out his hand.

Dipper took two steps backwards instead of accepting the formal greeting. “Where are my Grunkles?”

“Getting right to the point are we? They’re inside the cabin. They were so generous to deliver themselves to my doorstep, much like you. But don’t worry, they’re unharmed for now,” Hector said with an earsplitting grin.

“You’re after Bill, right? Why didn’t you just come straight to us?” Dipper asked, fuming.

“Well, it seems that you have a knack for getting in my way and you and Bill are a terrible combo to deal with when together. Divide and conquer and all that,” Hector said, taking a step forward. Dipper felt something wrap around his forearms and was yanked towards Hector. “W-what the-” Dipper sputtered out, while examining the green chains that had him rapidly encased.  Hector wrenched the chain down and brought Dipper to his knees.

He then put his index finger underneath Dipper’s chin and forced him to look up into his eyes. “Agree to help me take down Cipher, and I _won’t_ burn this hut to the ground with your Grunkles in it and force you to watch, hmm?” Dipper’s eyes grew wide. What was he going to do? He couldn’t betray Bill but he couldn’t let his Grunkles be burned alive. “How do I know they’re really in there?” Dipper asked, trying to stall the choice.

“You don’t, but do you really want to find out after I set the place ablaze?” Hector replied in a smooth voice.

“OH GOOD! Hector, keeping Pine Tree on a tight leash, I see. Thank you _so_ much for taking care of him in my absence,” Bill’s surly, sarcastic, and slightly agitated voice said from behind Dipper. Dipper’s head snapped so fast to see Bill approaching them from the woods that he almost gave himself whiplash.

“Oh, hello Cipher. You know, this saves me _a lot_ much trouble. Why don’t you do me a favor and end yourself now, or else the boy and his entire family will suffer?” Hector asked, tightening his grip on the magical restraints that tied Dipper.

Bill’s response was a laugh. A small laugh that slowly turned itself into an insane cackle. “I’m serious, Cipher. If you don’t give up now, I will gut him in front of you,” Hector snarled.

“T-that’s hilarious! You think- ha ha- you think I’m out here to SAVE him? Oh man, you should really do stand-up comedy because that is rich! Oh man, my knee needs to be slapped, that’s so funny!” Bill rested his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. Dipper’s blood ran cold. Why else would be out there?

“Well, why else would you be out here?” Hector asked, echoing Dipper’s thoughts.

“I came to put an end to this, Hector. Kill the boy, end his entire bloodline for all I care. I want _you_.” Bill spoke with a sudden air of seriousness, his eyes flashing red, briefly. Was he kidding? He didn’t sound like he was kidding.

Dipper struggled against his captor and was shoved into the ground. Before he could make a move to get a way, a finely polished shoe dug itself into his back and Dipper bit back a yelp. He wasn’t going to make this anymore degrading for himself.  

“Ah, the great Bill Cipher wants _me_? I’m so flattered,” Hector said in a cold voice.

“How about we come to an agreement Hector? I’ll forget your little transgressions if you go back to being the sniveling bootlicker that you are destined to be? Though, of course you won’t be invited to anymore of my parties.” Dipper couldn’t see Bill anymore but he could hear the sneer in his voice.

“You know, ha, that sounds like a really good deal Cipher, but here’s my counter offer. How about I take over the Mindscape completely and let you finish up your go around as a human and _then_ I’ll banish you permanently,” Hector spoke in the same sardonic note the Bill usually did. Dipper dared to turn his head to see Bill. He wore a taunting look on his face.

“Hmm, I propose a competition. How about a hunt?  Winner gets the Mindscape and the loser, well you know,” Bill said, twirling his hand as if to imply that the answer was obvious.

“Sounds like you’re afraid of fighting me,” Hector sneered.

“Sounds like you’re afraid of being the one losing to me. You do want the full power of the Mindscape right? If you actually think you’re worth such power, beating me would be a snap, you unoriginal, unintelligent copycat.” Bill argued. “We’re both at limited power, so we might as well make sport of it.”

“Is name calling what we’re reduced to, Cipher? Fine. I’ll play your little game. What are we hunting?” Hector snarled.

“How about that little sapling you have underneath your foot. First one to kill him wins.” The moment those words left Bill’s mouth, Dipper thought he was going to be sick. Bill wanted to kill him. A few days ago he would not have been surprised. Was all of this a ploy? Was Dipper actually Bill’s pawn this entire time? Bill was going on and on about how he fucking hated being betrayed and now he pulls this shit? Dipper really should have seen this coming.

Dipper felt the restraints leave his arms and the shoe leaving his back. He quickly got to his feet and stumbled away from the two demons. “I want to see my Grunkles,” was all he could choke out in his panic.

“You have two minutes to check on them and then you’ll have a ten minute head start,” Hector informed. “And if you dare think of leaving these woods or calling for help, I will not hesitate to end them in the manner I discussed earlier.”

“This isn’t fair! How do I win?” Dipper wasn’t in a position to complain, but damn it he wasn’t just going to play cat and mouse with the demons without a way out.

“Hmm, interesting question. How about if you survive until sunrise, you and your Grunkles live, leaving Hector and I to duke it out and last demon standing wins?” Bill said with a wide smirk and darkness coating his eyes. Hector nodded eagerly in agreement. He clearly wanted to rip Bill apart himself, but was baited into this stupid contest.

That offer was good enough for Dipper so he didn’t waste time running in to check on Ford and Stan. They were unconscious and looked as though they were carelessly tossed on the ground. Dipper checked to see if they were breathing and to his relief they were. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you guys are okay,” Dipper said, knowing that they probably couldn’t hear him.

Dipper saw that Ford still had his backpack strapped to his back. Dipper dug around in it to see if the old man brought something useful. He hit the jackpot when he found a few of Ford’s notebooks. He stuffed them into his own backpack and bolted out the door.

Bill was on his phone and Hector was giving him a calloused look. “What are you doing, Cipher?”

“Looking up to see how many different ways these stupid humans have come up with to say ‘you are an idiot’,” Bill stated, nonchalantly before looking directly at Dipper. Dipper’s heart was in his throat when they locked eyes.

“What are you waiting for, Pine Tree? You got nine minutes to get away. Won’t be much fun if you sit around and wait for us to kill you,” Bill said with a laugh. Dipper still hesitated. He hated himself for feeling this way. For falling for Bill’s tricks and traps.

Suddenly a laser shot through the air grazing Dipper’s arm. Dipper clutched at the small laceration and looked up to see Bill pointing a finger gun at him. “Tick tock, kid. Next time you lose the entire arm, and man oh man, that would be quite the disadvantage.”

Dipper didn’t have to think twice about bolting now. If he was going to survive he would have to find a safe place to hide before he could look through Ford’s books. The sun was setting and he didn’t have long to figure things out.

\-----------------------

Mabel looked over at her crew. Pacifica, Grenda, and Candy were all piled into Grenda’s van to help Mabel get Dipper and her Grunkles out of the woods and to safety. Bill went in first for recon and after about thirty minutes of waiting, her phone beeped with a message.

_Geezers are at the place marked on your map. Pine Tree will be fine. Move fast._

“Alright girls! It’s party time!” Mabel announced, leading everyone out of the van and into the woods. 

Everyone had their flashlights out already despite the sun still being up. Better safe sorry, though, since it wouldn’t be up for much longer. Paz stayed close to her side to look over the map and help Mabel figure out how to orienteer them through the woods. 

When they found a clearing with a small cabin, Mabel knew in her gut that this was the right place. She held her hand up so the girls would halt. She wasn’t sure what awaited her in the cabin or if Hector came back but she couldn’t live with the burden of any of them getting hurt on her watch.

She gingerly approached the door and eased it open, peeking through the cracks. It reeked of old blood and feathers. Mabel never once would have thought she would have to smell those two things together and it made her stomach churn from not just the odor, but the anxiety of what she was going to find. She swung the door fully open was immediately grateful to see her Grunkles in one piece. They were unconscious, albeit unharmed, so she was able to let out that breath she was holding. And no Hector, that was a plus.

She signaled for the girls to come in and rushed to Stan and Ford’s side. They still had a pulse and still breathing, which was good but who knows how long they have been knocked out or _how_ they were knocked out. There were no wounds on their heads but Mabel resolved to get them to the hospital regardless.

Grenda and Mabel hoisted Stan while Paz and Candy supported Ford. “Okay, the minute we get back to the car, Grenda, I’m going to need you to put the pedal to the metal and get us to the hospital.”

“Of course,” Grenda replied as they carried the two men out into the woods. “Mabel, I can carry him alone if you want to pull out the map,” Grenda offered. “A-are you sure? I think I can get us back by memory.”

“Grenda can handle it, Mabel, so don’t worry. Rescuing them won’t mean anything if we get lost,” Candy chimed in. Mabel nodded and they stopped for a moment so Grenda could readjust and hoist Stan over her shoulder. Geez, will Grenda ever stop being so darn amazing? Heck, Mabel was so grateful to have such an amazing group of friends who were willing to drop everything and be by her side when all of this happened. During her time in college and high school, Mabel had her share of fair-weather friends so she felt so incredibly lucky to have these girls in her life.

Mabel shined her flashlight onto the map and pointed them in the direction they needed to go. She was going to make sure her Grunkles got out of this alive while Bill handled Hector.

_Bill better make sure Dipper is safe._

\-------------------------------

Dipper had to resort to crouching in some shrubbery in the woods when he heard the sound of whistling approaching from behind him. It was distinctly Bill’s whistle and Dipper could hear his heartbeat in his ears. _He’s going to find me, he’s going to find me,_ he panicked inside his mind. He couldn’t even see which direction Bill was coming from but Dipper could have sworn there were two sets of footfalls coming his way.

When Bill started getting closer to Dipper’s hiding spot, he actually started singing a song. _Really Bill? Really? You have to taunt me while you hunt me down?_

“ _I’m always walkin’. After midnight, out in the moonlight, just like we used to do. I’m always walking, after midnight, searching for you._ ” The crumpling of leaves under shoes advanced closer.

“ _I see a weeping willow, crying on his pillow. Could he be crying for me? And as the sky turns gloomy, the night wind whispers to me, I’m lonesome as can be,_ ” he continued singing and actually walked past Dipper. They walked past Dipper! Dipper was either extremely lucky or Bill was just- _oh my god, that’s right I’m bait._

And Bill’s song just gave him a time and place to be.

Dipper froze when he heard Bill’s song stop and heard him exchanging words with Hector.

He couldn’t hear much other than Bill complaining that Hector was cheating by following him and Hector made exasperated noises and complained about Bill’s singing and then it sounded as if they parted ways.

Once he couldn’t hear the two anymore, Dipper relaxed his body a little. He seriously felt stupid for forgetting that Bill planned to use Dipper as bait.

Dipper took out his map, and remembered how Bill talked about the actual Weeping Willows in the northern part of the forest. Is there something there that could help them defeat Hector? Or is it just a safe place to meet?

Once Dipper was sure he was alone, he pushed himself up and out of the bushes. He tried his best to keep his footsteps steady and quiet because there was no helping him if Hector found him first.

Dipper held in a chuckle at his pathetic situation. To just think that he was playing something similar to this as a game with his friends just two weeks ago. With water guns at that! And now he was being hunted for real and if he lost, not only would he perish, but his Grunkles would to.

Dipper abruptly realized how dark it was getting to be outside. He was in the middle of contemplating the safety of using the flashlight on his phone when, out of the blue, his feet fell from under him. He had no idea how he was falling so he didn’t know how to brace for impact, resulting in him landing awkwardly on his side, his shoulder made a sickening _pop_ noise. Dipper cried out in pain and when he made the move to sit up, it the pain shot deeper and made his all of his nerve endings feel like his body was on fire. He bit his lip used his good arm to punch the ground repeatedly to take his mind of the agony.

Once his body was adjusted to the pain, Dipper lifted his hand that wasn’t attached to the hurt shoulder and lightly felt around the injured area. It was dislocated. This wasn’t something unfamiliar to Dipper because he had dislocated his shoulder a couple times before during camping trips, but he always had someone there to help pop it back into the place before it could set like this. Now, he was on his own in the woods with no one to help him. With demons hunting him. In a forest that attracted dangerous supernatural creatures like a moth to a flame. This is not how he imagined spending his Wednesday night.

With the resolve to reset his shoulder burning inside him, Dipper used his good arm to dig around in his bag and found the folder Ford had given him when he printed the autopsy reports. He rolled it up and stuck the folder in his mouth to prevent him from either screaming or biting his off own tongue, whichever happens first.

Dipper grasped his shoulder and winced at the searing pain. He could feel exactly where he needed to place it. He bit down harder on the folder, drool pooling in his mouth. He bit the bullet and shoved his shoulder back into its designated socket and screamed into the folder.

After feeling around and finding a tree to lie up against, Dipper took some time to catch his breath. His shoulder was still in immense pain, but he could move his arm freely again. He was definitely going to have to visit a doctor after this.

A rustling from the bushes caught his attention. If it was Hector, Dipper would be screwed either way, so he quickly dug out his phone and used the flashlight feature to shine on whatever was approaching him.

A familiar voice complained about the light. “Whoa, hey. I don’t go into your woods and shine lights in your eyes, do I tough guy?”

Dipper put his phone down and relief washed over him in waves. He even laughed a little as he spoke, “Jeff? Is that you?”

“Dipper? Hey, look at you! You’re not practically as short as me anymore! What’s shaking?” a gnome in a pointy red hat asked. Boy was he glad Jeff remembered him.

“Um, nothing much. Hey listen, I know we have a lot to catch up on, but I have a favor to ask. Do you think you can take me to the Weeping Willows?” Dipper asked desperately.

“Hmm, I can but on one condition,” Jeff said, tapping a finger to his chin. “We need jam. Do you think you can get us about five gallons of the good stuff? We’re having a celebration this week and need to-“

“Done deal. I’ll get you ten gallons of jam if you want! I just really, really need to get to the Weeping Willows.” Dipper stopped caring how pathetic he seemed. “Hey, all right! Follow me!” Jeff said cheerfully. It was a strain to get up, but Dipper somehow managed it. Dipper kept his phone light on so there wouldn’t be a repeat of the incident earlier and so he wouldn’t get separated from Jeff. 

Jeff stopped in the middle of their walk and Dipper almost stepped on the poor guy but luckily Jeff was oblivious to that fact.

“This is as far as I can take you, but keep going in that direction for one more mile and then just follow the noise,” Jeff stated while pointing forward.

“Thanks man, I owe you,” Dipper said, finally feeling hopeful.

“Yeah, owe me ten gallons of jam. Don’t forget!” the gnome stated as he started trekking back the way they came from and Dipper rolled his eyes before pressing forward. 

Eventually he heard the cries of the Willows getting louder and louder. His heartbeat raced in anticipation of reaching his destination. Maybe he and Bill could finally regroup and they could finally figure out how to take Hector down.

None of his thoughts wouldn’t come to fruition as a ring of green flames surrounded him. “Seriously?” he called out nervously. He was so close to his destination.

“It looks like I win,” Hectors voice said from behind him. _Frack_.

\----------------------------

Bill caught sight of the green flames just in time to punch Hector and stop him short of killing Pine Tree. Shit that was close. That was _so_ close. Thank, what the hell ever these humans thank, that Pine Tree got his hint. Bill was actually worried that Pine Tree thought that Bill had betrayed him and that would have thrown a fucking wrench into this plan.

Hector’s concentration was now broken as he lied on the ground, so the flames died down. “Good job staying alive, kid. Good thing you’re not stupid or else I might have actually worried about you,” Bill said, striding to Pine Tree’s side. Pine Tree gave Bill a smile that could light up this entire dark forest when his expression shifted from relief to panic. He pushed Bill to the ground before he could see what was happening, a flash of green light illuminated the area.

Bill quickly got to his feet again with cat-like reflexes, but now Pine Tree was on the ground. Why was Pine Tree on the ground? Bill used his flames to light up the area better and a growl escaped his throat when he saw Pine Tree clutching at a gaping wound in his shoulder. Bill didn’t ask for this. Bill didn’t coerce Pine Tree into protecting him. So why?

_Why_?

Bill turned his gaze to Hector, who copied Bill’s finger gun from earlier and had it aimed towards him. Something bubbled inside Bill and a familiar coldness washed across his chest. Hector shot his little laser but Bill was too fast. He was behind Hector and had him by the hair and slammed him backwards into the ground.

He straddled Hector’s chest, using his legs to keep his arms pinned and punch him repeatedly with fists covered in blue flames. “You think that you can waltz in here and take me on? ME? Don’t make me laugh.” Hector’s face was sizzling satisfyingly.

“You’re nothing without the Pines in this form. Splitting apart that precious family was so easy,” Hector taunted and Bill punched him again. “Didn’t need the Pines to do that, now did I?”

An agonized cry coming from behind them grabbed Bill’s attention. _Pine_ _Tree_. Bill stood up and turned to check on Pine Tree, who was still clutching his wound. Bill turned back to Hector to finish the job but it was too late. That chicken shit teleported.

Bill didn’t have enough time to be enraged as another groan from the kid pulled Bill back to the matter at hand and he quickly turned and slid to the ground next to Pine Tree like he was a baseball player hitting home base.

Pine Tree was the definition of a mess. He was covered in his own blood and looked weak. Bill could see clearly into the hole in his shoulder. There was muscle tissue and bone showing through so Bill worked fast. He put his hand over the wound and summoned his blue flames to repair the damage that was done. Bill took a breath and looked at Pine Tree. He was still pale. Oh so pale and that made Bill’s heart race involuntarily.  

Pine Tree’s eyes started to close so Bill did the only thing he could think to do was grab both of the kid’s cheeks with his index finger and his thumb and force him to look into his eyes. “Pine Tree, I’m going to cover your eyes so we can teleport, and I swear to whatever phony god you believe in that if you close your eyes and die on me, that I will murder you.”

Pine Tree gave a weak smile at that sentiment and that was proof enough for Bill that he was sentient enough to stay awake. Bill covered Pine Tree’s eyes and teleported them to the hospital. They landed off to the side so no one could see them arriving out of nowhere. Bill pulled Pine Tree’s arm over his shoulder and wrapped his arm around his waist and led him inside.

One he was inside the hospital, everything happened so fast. Pine Tree was ripped from Bill’s arms and taken to somewhere in the ER and Bill was forced to stay behind and answer inane questions. Like, why were they covered in blood? Did he need medical attention as well?  Luckily for him, Shooting Star spotted him and was expertly able to divide their attention and give them Pine Tree’s medical history. Good thing too, because Bill was about to explode and he did not need to piss off the medical professionals that were going to save Pine tree.

The minute they were done talking to the medical professionals, Shooting Star immediately hauled Bill someplace private and asked, “What the hell happened, Bill? You promised he would be safe!”

Bill’s body was involuntarily shaking. What was wrong with him? He looked at his trembling hands and answered Shooting Star, “I know I did. But that stupid kid had to be a hero.” If Bill didn’t know any better, he could have sworn his voice was cracking. “Star, what’s wrong with me? Am I dying? I can’t stop shaking, and there’s something wrong with my throat.”

Her gaze softened, “It’s because you’re worried, Bill. Look, I’m trying really, really hard to not freak out, so please, just tell me what happened?” she asked as she grabbed Bill’s shoulders and led him to a couple of chairs down the hall.

“Hector got away and Pine Tree lost a lot of blood,” Bill admitted while hunching over, resting his elbows on his thighs and held his head to make it stop spinning. He used a lot of power that he didn’t know was in him tonight and he was feeling the after effects. “I healed his wound, but I can’t make his blood cells multiply faster.”

“Well, they know his blood type now, so if all he needs is a transfusion, it should be a piece of cake,” Shooting Star spoke, sounding like she was convincing herself more than Bill.

“I don’t understand, Shooting Star.”

“What don’t you understand?”

“Why did Pine Tree do this? He pushed me out of the way of Hector’s blast and that’s how he got hurt,” Bill sulked, choosing to slouch back in the chair instead of hunching forward now. “There was no coercion, no deal, there was absolutely nothing in it for him because if I died, Hector wouldn’t have a need for any of you, so why?”

Shooting Star patted Bill’s arm. “That’s what you do when you care about someone.”

“Elaborate,” Bill demanded with a sideways glance.

“It means that, at least in that moment, he cared more about you than himself and you better not abuse that information,” Shooting Star said, while suddenly pinching Bill’s cheek. “Ow, OW, okay! I won’t abuse that,” Bill said, slapping her hand away, feeling too exhausted to even fight about it. Bill didn’t feel like he had any reason abuse Pine Tree in this moment anyway. Kid was already willing to along with whatever Bill wanted to do, even without brainwashing, so there was no need.

“Good. I’m going to hold you to that. Do you want coffee?” she asked, seguing into a new subject. “No, I just want them to call us to go see Pine Tree.”

“Ford and Stan are awake. Did you want to see them?” she offered.

“Not in particular,” Bill sighed out and closed his eyes. He just wanted to see Pine Tree with color in his face again. He wanted to see life in those stupid rosy cheeks. He wanted… he wanted a lot of things.

Bill and Shooting Star were sitting down together for what felt like an eternity when someone finally called out, “Family of Dipper Pines?”

Shooting Star jumped up and Bill followed suit. “Ooh! That’s us, that’s us!” she said eagerly. “How’s my brother?”

“He’s better than he looks, actually. He had an extremely low blood cell count for some odd reason, so we started a transfusion. His left shoulder and elbow are sprained so no heavy lifting for at least two weeks. Do you guys have any idea how he lost that much blood without a wound? It’s a medical mystery,” the doctor asked.

“No idea. Where is he?” Bill queried while impatiently tapping his foot. “Huh, I guess this kind of thing isn’t surprising, especially after that strange sickness a few weeks ago. He’s being held the ER. Room twelve, I believe. Oh, and just as a heads up, he’s probably a little out of it from the meds we gave him. But he can go home after the transfusion as long as one of you drive him. He’ll need to rest for a couple of days.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Bill said, brushing past the doctor and dragging Shooting Star by the arm who yelled out a quick, “Thank you!” to the doctor.

“Do you have your car? I teleported us here,” Bill asked. He didn’t have the energy to teleport him and Pine Tree back to the pool house or Shack. Hell, he barely had the energy to get them to the hospital, but human adrenal glands were a wondrous thing.

“Y-yeah. The girls helped me get settled. I was staying the night here with Ford and Stan. They woke up but are staying under observation in rooms upstairs,” Star informed. “Swell,” was all Bill said as he dragged her into the room the doctor said Pine Tree would be in.

The head of the bed was raised up, presumably to keep Pine Tree from resting on his wrapped shoulder and elbow. His eyes were half lidded and were staring at the small television hanging in the corner. He was hooked up to a machine that kept track of his heartrate and had an IV dripping blood into his veins. This was appalling. Pine Tree never should have been here looking all weak and pathetic like this.

“Ow, Bill! You’re going to bruise my arm!” Shooting Star complained. Bill instantly yanked his hand away from her and muttered out a quiet, “Sorry.”  

“Dipper? Hey, are you okay?” Shooting Star asked, approaching him carefully. Pine Tree’s eyes lit up, although they were a little glazed over. “Mabel? Mabel, what are you doing here? I- uh- I hurt my shoulder,” he slurred out.

Shooting Star looked relieved and stepped quickly to Pine Tree’s side and sat on the edge of the bed. “I see that, Brosky. I’d ask you what happened, but you’re probably too off your gourd to answer,” she giggled.

“Uh, yeah. Yeah, you’d be right. Oh, Bill! Bill, hey, what um, what happened to Hector?” Pine Tree asked. He furrowed his brows as he spoke, a sign that he was trying to keep his thoughts together. “He got away, but you’re Grunkles are safe. Shooting Star and her friends made sure of that,” Bill said and Pine Tree wore a crooked smile and turned his gaze to his twin.

“You did?”

“Yeah, the girls and I rescued them while Bill created a diversion,” Shooting Star informed while twirling some of her hair nervously.

“I’m glad,” Pine Tree smile softly and suddenly his stomach made a low rumbling noise and Shooting Star laughed. “Want something to eat, Bro-Bro?”

“Yeah,” he replied sheepishly. A blush coated his cheeks and Bill was ecstatic to see some color in them.

Shooting Star stood up and stretched before heading towards the door. “Bill, you want anything?” she asked and Bill simply shook his head and she bounced out the door, leaving them alone.

Bill walked up to the hospital bed and crawled onto the foot of the bed, pushing Pine Tree’s feet forward and earning some noises of complaint but they both ended sitting cross legged at opposite ends of the bed, looking at each other.

“B-Bill, what are you-“

“We’re going to go dancing,” Bill stated clearly.

“U-um, but I’m in the hospital,” Pine Tree giggled out. Bill knew he wasn’t going to be a hundred percent here for this conversation, but he wanted get out what he had to say.

“And we’re getting matching tattoos. You forfeited your right to have a choice when you stupidly got yourself injured on my behalf. I’m going to get a Pine Tree right here,” Bill said, pointing to the area above his collar bone, “and you’re going to get a triangle on your bicep.”

“That doesn’t sound like matching,” Pine Tree slurred out.

“No, but it’s meaningful. And when fall rolls around, we’re going to take a week to drive to all the worthwhile festivals and fairs in Oregon. And then-“ Pine Tree waved his hands in front of Bill’s face, abruptly cutting him off. “Whoa, whoa, Bill. C-calm down.” What’s Pine Tree’s problem? Was Bill not talking in a way these humans considered civilized?

“Why do you suddenly want to do all these things with me? I-erm I thought that you wanted to leave after Hector is gone?” Pine Tree asked, looking like he was trying so hard to be serious, but that little upward twitch his mouth was doing showed that the drugs were still running strong through his veins.

“I do what I want kid and right now I want to stay here in Gravity Falls with you. The winds might change later down the road, but for now, this is what I want so you better prepare yourself because you are-“ Bill’s thought went incomplete as Pine Tree used his good arm and yanked Bill by shirt and pulled him into a half hug since that’s all the kid could manage.

Bill adjusted his legs to hang over the side of the bed so the position wasn’t awkward and wrapped his arms around Pine Tree’s waist to avoid hurting his injured arm. There was something extremely comforting in this sappy gesture. Geez, what was this kid doing to him?

“Kid?”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t ever do something stupid like that again.”

“Yeah.”

The sound of footsteps from down the hall made Pine Tree release Bill from his grasp and Bill stood up, straightening his shirt out.

“Alright, I got salt n’ vinegar chips in case you needed sodium, doughnuts for sugar, and an ice cold can of Pit Cola,” Shooting Star stated cheerfully as she entered the room. “Ah, sweet. Thanks Sis,” Pine Tree stated he accepted the armful of food.

It was good that Pine Tree was leaning towards being nice to his sister after everything that happened. Hector mentioned something about tearing the Pines family apart as if that was a part of his plan. If so, it was probably for the best the Pines band together again, even if he and Pine Tree still didn’t have all the facts on how Hector weaseled his way into convincing Shooting Star and Sixer to brainwash Pine Tree.

Bill thought back to this night and the whole situation and a thought struck him. Oh, it was an ingenious thought at that. He grabbed Shooting Star by the sleeve and yanked her out of the room, despite the protests she made.

He grabbed her by the shoulders and looked her dead in the eye. “When Pine Tree is safe at home, we’re going to hunt a Gorgon.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a lot of fun writing this chapter and I'm so glad that I was able to get it out early for you guys! :D Singing praises to my boyfriend right now because I actually almost lost all of my documents and he saved them all for me! *wipes sweat from forehead and laughs nervously* Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. :D


	22. That's How You Know

Dipper blinked his eyes open slowly. He saw the familiar ceiling of his room at the pool house. Strange, he didn’t remember coming home last night. After sifting through his memories from last night, he quickly shot up out of bed then nearly bit his tongue off suppressing the agonized sound that was trying to pry itself from his lips.

The entire left half of his torso and his arm had pain shooting across it. Brief memories of a doctor talking to him at the hospital ran through his mind. Something about a sprain? That’s better than broken at least.

He did his best to roll to the edge of the bed and sat up slowly. He was still sweaty from yesterday’s endeavors and he wanted to shower. He looked sleepily at his arm and noticed that his elbow was bound into an elbow brace. Upon further examination of his room, he noticed a sling on his nightstand. Seriously, how did he get home last night?

An unexpected knock on the door pulled Dipper from jumbled thoughts. “You awake in there, Dip Dop?”

“Yeah, Mabes. You can come in,” Dipper spoke while suppressing a yawn. Mabel came bouncing in wearing a bright green sweater with a darker green sleeveless vest over it with a pair of jeans and some boots. “What time is it?”

“It’s almost ten. You should probably sleep some more,” Mabel said fidgeting a little.

“I’m okay. Where’s Bill?”

“He’s still sleeping the guest room. He was pretty exhausted and upset last night,” his sister informed.

“I bet. He’s probably mad that I went off without him first,” Dipper concluded. “No, actually I think he’s more mad that you got hurt. He was shaking so bad last night that that James Bond thought he’d be a good bartender,” Mabel said, moving her arms around as she spoke.

That couldn’t be right. “What? No, I think he’s madder about Hector getting away. And it’s my fault he got away since I got hurt,” Dipper rationalized.

“I dunno Dipper. I feel like it was different than that, but you should let him rest. He was freaking livid and wanted to drag me monster hunting last night, but I talked him down into resting for a day or two,” Mabel said.

“Monster hunting? Why?” They literally spent a good six hours in the woods last night so how did he even have the energy to think of going back right away?

“You should ask him when he wakes up. I’ve gotta go actually. I picked up Grunkle Stan and Ford from the hospital this morning so they’re back in the mansion if you wanna visit them. I also dropped your prescriptions the doctor gave you at the pharmacy and I can pick them up on the way home. Oh and-“ Mabel was listing things off faster than Dipper’s cloudy mind could keep up with.

“Whoa, Mabes, slow down. I’m still groggy here,” Dipper said. “Why do you need to leave?”

“I’m going to go train the new hires for the Shack. I hired two people while you were away. Their names are Marty and Clara and I think you’ll like working with them,” Mabel said cheerfully.

“Oh,” was all Dipper could say. His sister was busting her ass to keep things afloat and he ran away and promptly got injured the minute he got back. He was so fucking hurt and angry when he left town and now that the anger has subsided, he realized how immature that was. “Hey, can I come with you? I want to meet the newbies,” Dipper asked, standing up. He knees nearly buckled from being sore after running through the woods yesterday, but he stayed upright.

“No can do, Dipping Sauce. Doctor said you need to spend a couple days resting and no heavy lifting,” Mabel said, wagging her index finger in at ‘tsk tsk tsk’ fashion.

“Oh c’mon! We can open up for a couple of afternoon tours and I’ll run the register. How bad could it be?” Dipper asked, trying his best to mimic how Mabel makes her eyes go big when she asks for something.

Mabel sighed, “At least rest today and I’ll let you come with me tomorrow.”

“I guess that’s fair. Oh crap!”

“What? What is it?”

“Your pastries!”

“My pastries? Did you want me to make you some?” Mabel queried.

“No, no. Bill and I brought back some pastries for you from Portland. Soos and Melody recommended the place and I left them in my car,” Dipper sighed out. They were probably bad from the heat now. What Soos said stayed with Dipper the entire drive back from Portland. Dipper was still hurt, but he wanted to try to get past this and the pastries were what he was going to use to break the ice.

Mabel still gave him her thousand watt smile and looked extremely relieved. She was probably stressing out the entire time Dipper was gone and that just made him feel worse.

“It’s okay. They might still be good. If you’re hungry, there’s leftover stew in the fridge. I’ve gotta run now. Don’t go looking for trouble!” Mabel said as she turned on her heel quickly to leave and closed the door behind her.

 Dipper was already standing, so he continued to get ready for the day. Since he was going to be stuck at home, he just threw on sweatpants and a t-shirt after his shower. He was also able to finally take his contacts out and wear his glasses, thank goodness, because his eyes were really starting to itch.

Dipper made sure his elbow brace was adjusted to be tight and wore his sling to keep his shoulder in place. When he left his room, he glanced between the stairway and the second upstairs bedroom door and wondered if Bill was awake by now.

Dipper stepped lightly down the hallway and knocked on the door lightly before turning it open. Bill was curled up in his bed, snoring lightly. Dipper quietly approached the bed and kneeled close to him. “Bill, you hungry? I’m going to heat some stew that Mabel made.”

Dipper tapped Bill’s cheek lightly and Bill quickly had his teeth digging into Dipper’s hand, resulting in Dipper almost yanking his other shoulder out of its socket because of how quickly he snapped his hand back. When the brunet looked back at the demon, he was muttering something incoherent and rolled over.

Dipper stood up and examined the indention in his hand and walked out of the room in a huff. He didn’t know what he expected, but being bitten really shouldn’t surprise him.

After abandoning his quest to wake Bill up, the brunet trotted downstairs and into the kitchen. The stew was already in an eight quart pot so all Dipper had to do was get it to the stove stop and set the burner. Dipper carried the pot low, so he could use both his hands to grab the handles. But lifting it up to put it on the stove with the restrictions of the elbow brace proved to be the bigger burden. He tried using his knee to lift it, but he almost fell over doing it that way.

Dipper almost dropped the entire pot on the floor when two arms appeared on either side of him and caught it, carefully setting it on top of the stove.

“Geez, kid. Wake me up next time,” Bill’s agitated voice spoke closely to Dipper’s ear. Bill rested his chin on Dipper’s good shoulder and reached to turn the stove on. “I tried. You bit me,” Dipper said, nonchalantly, trying not to think about Bill’s chest on his back or his face being so close to his.  

Bill didn’t move from his spot, but nonetheless sounded offended, “What? I did not!” Dipper held his hand with the bite mark up to the demon’s face. “Oh, I guess I did. Sorry,” Bill said, finally stepping away from Dipper and opened a drawer to dig out a ladle. Dipper noticed that Bill was completely dressed for the day and pondered how in the hell he managed to do that so quickly.

“An apology? From Bill Cipher? What did I do to deserve such an honor?” Dipper teased and Bill’s eye twitched. He looked like he was biting his tongue before he simply said, “Don’t try your luck, kid,” before moving to stir the leftovers.

A knock on the door distracted Dipper from mocking Bill again as he went to answer it. Dipper opened the door to see a pretty disheveled Grunkle Stan standing in front of him. “Grunkle Stan! I’m so glad you’re okay!” Dipper exclaimed. He was extremely relieved to physically see at least one of his Grunkles after yesterday’s disaster.

“Glad to see you’re not completely broken,” Stan said cheerfully, while Dipper side-stepped and gestured for him to come in. “Y-yeah. You hungry? We’re reheating some stew Mabel made.”

“Sure.” Stan said as Dipper led him to the table for four in the kitchen area. “Hey, Bill. Glad to see you’re in one piece too.”

“I’m less likely to break than you, you geezer,” Bill snorted as he continued to stir. “Seriously, leave the demon hunting to the professionals over here before you break a hip.”

“Hey, I’ve still got some fight left in me!”

Dipper listened to their friendly quarrel as he got out some bowls and spoons from the cabinet. Then he moved next to Bill and forced him to surrender the ladle so he could finish his back and forth with Stan at the table. Dipper added some extra seasonings to the broth and let it simmer for a few more minutes before pushing the pot over to a burner that wasn’t turned on and turned off the stove.

“Okay, it’s ready,” Dipper announced. Stan filled up his and Dipper’s bowl and carried it to the table since Dipper couldn’t lift his left arm up high enough to _not_ spill it everywhere and Bill just took what was left in the pot.

The three ate in silence for a little bit before Stan finally spoke up. “So, I bet you’re wondering why I’m here,” he started. “You don’t _need_ a reason to visit, but I’m sure it’s about the um,” Dipper said and Bill finished his thought for him. “You’re here to tell us the circumstances about Pine Tree’s brainwashing, aren’t ya, Fez?”

Grunkle Stan nodded solemnly. “Yeah. When I found out about the whole ordeal, I was seeing so much red that if my eyes started bleeding, I wouldn’t have noticed. Mabel and Ford told me everything and I’m still pretty mad about the whole thing. I can tell you what they told me, if you’re ready.”

Dipper looked down into his bowl and stirred his stew a little. Was he ready to hear this? He was finally feeling better about everything and he knew that knowing all the facts, while important, was just going to hurt like hell. But in the end he needed to know. He needed to know everything so he gave a curt nod and listened to what Stan had to say.

Dipper’s stomach turned while Stan spoke. Hector had almost killed him a long time ago. Dipper remembered waking up in the hospital after being unconscious for a couple days. Mabel said that he had gone out and got himself hurt but she found him like that and the thought of the lie stung.

He stole glances of Bill and he just looked more and more agitated as the story progressed. By the time Stan had finished, all Dipper could do was stare at his hands.

Ford was the one who made the deal. Mabel didn’t even really have a hand in it, but he was still lied to and influenced by her for the past five years. But she thought that knowing about the brainwashing would break him. He wondered what he would have done if the roles were reversed.  

“T-thanks, Grunkle Stan. I know this is difficult for you too. You’re welcome over anytime, but I’m not sure if I should see Ford for a while,” Dipper said, staring into his now cold bowl of stew. “That’s understandable. If he wasn’t my brother he would be out on his ass right now, but I didn’t spend thirty years trying to him back to just let him fall of the face of the earth, you know?”

“Yeah,” Dipper glanced at Bill again. He held his head low so his bangs covered his eyes and wore a frown. Dipper was almost afraid to address him, but Stan spoke up to break the silence, “Bill. I know that my brother did a shit thing, but another reason I came here was to ask you’d keep our deal with just me.”

Bill glanced through his bangs and a smirk played his lips as he sounded out a quick, “Hmph.” He was silent for a moment and finally spoke up. “No can do, Fez. But I will give you the comfort of promising you that I won’t harm you or your family. Even Ford since, you know, I’ve technically done worse to him so ball is still in his court,” Bill muttered out that last part before continuing. “Just tell him to make sure to leave everyone else out of this from now on. If he wants a fight, as long as he keeps it between us, I will do the same,” Bill leaned forward and tapped his index finger on the table as he spoke.

“Oh, no. There will be no fighting, you hear? I’ll keep him from coming after you so don’t worry about that,” Stan promised. “I’ve gotta go. Try to be nice to your sister. She didn’t show it, but I know she’s upset too.”

Dipper nodded, “Yeah. I’ll make sure to have a proper talk with her about everything. She’s working hard. I can tell she regrets everything.”

Stan ruffled Dipper’s hair. “Yeah, she really is. It’s good that you see that. I’d hate to see her end up how I did. If anyone knows that one shitty mistake can ruin your life, it’s me. Stay out of trouble, kiddo,” was the last thing Stan said before departing. Geez, why did everyone seem to think that he can’t stay out of trouble?

\------------------------------------

The whole story honestly was actually pretty unsurprising for Bill. Of course Sixer would want revenge or whatever on Bill and it wasn’t surprising that Shooting Star stumbled around in the dark about the entire situation for so long. She wasn’t one for research so she followed Sixer blindly. Bill still didn’t appreciate the betrayal but it would probably irk Pine Tree to wake up one day and find out that Bill had murdered a family member. Any of them, despite what they’ve done. Humans were sensitive after all.

While Bill mused over this, the sound of dishes clanking brought Bill back to reality (hah, reality).  Pine Tree was gathering up the bowls with one hand so Bill quickly shooed him out of the way and finished the grabbing the dishes. Shooting Star said that she wouldn’t help Bill out with the Gorgon if he didn’t make sure Pine Tree was taken care of today so the demon assumed his role of being the human-sitter.

Pine Tree muttered out a small thanks and Bill just nodded as he practically threw the dishes into the sink. The clattered but didn’t break, so he filed that under a win.

He glanced at Pine Tree who was looking a little sullen. Bill took the time to actually examine the kid since he didn’t the chance to look at him too closely last night. He had his sling and elbow brace on, so he could check off those boxes. But something he didn’t notice while he experienced all of those raw human emotions last night was a bandage on his arm in the spot Bill shot him with the laser.

Bill walked up to Pine Tree and touched his arm, rubbing his thumb underneath the bandage, “Hey, I could heal this up for you, if you want. I must have missed it when I healed the larger wound.”

“Nah. I think they’ll want to do a check-up in a few days so I’d rather not give them any more reasons to be suspicious. I barely remember the hospital trip, but I do remember the doctor getting pale when he asked me what happened and I replied a little too casually, ‘demon hunting’,” Pine Tree said.

“Ha! Well it’s a good thing this town knows it’s weird now or else they might of sent you to the funny farm,” Bill joked then bit the inside of his cheek. He really wished Pine Tree would let him heal his arm.

_Wait_.

“You don’t remember the hospital visit?” Bill asked. “Not really. I they gave me some pretty heavy painkillers. I remember you and Mabel visiting, but I don’t even remember coming home last night,” Pine Tree confessed.

“So, you don’t remember what we talked about?” Bill heard his voice raise an octave higher. Stupid vocal chords. “I remember some things,” Pine Tree said, using his good arm to rub the back of his head. “I can remember you saying a bunch of things you wanted to go out and do with me, but none of them really stuck.” Bill’s heart felt like it was sinking and could fall out of his ribcage in any moment.

“But I do remember you saying that you want to stay here. And, honestly, I’m happy about that,” Pine Tree avoided eye contact but wore a shy smile and Bill’s heart suddenly jumped from the bottom of his ribcage and went straight into his throat. He should probably reread that book on human anatomy because he was pretty sure hearts weren’t supposed to do that. They also aren’t supposed to be torn out of your chest by a witch, but what can you do?

“Well, of course you’re happy. I am a delight to be around,” Bill said, raising his eyebrows at Pine Tree and he just rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, yeah. By the way, Mabel mentioned something about you dragging her monster hunting?” Pine Tree asked, with a raised eyebrow and moved his hand from the back of his head to his hip.

“Yeah. I might’ve tried to jump the gun in the heat of the moment, but I need to gouge out a Gorgon’s eyeballs,” Bill said, leading Pine Tree to the living area. A movie day would probably be the best thing for Pine Tree right now since Shooting Star _had_ to insist on Bill making sure he stays indoors today.

Pine Tree knitted his brows and bit his lower lip. “You just said that a little too casually. I can see where you’re going with this and I’m not sure if it’ll work to the extent that you want it to.”

“Ah, but here’s the kicker. I figured out how Hector is able to use his powers in a human vessel,” Bill gently nudged Pine Tree to sit down on the couch and took the spot next to him. “He’s using human binding magic. It’s the only possible way! That means it would take him while to escape his vessel and by the time the Gorgon’s curse kicks in, BOOM! He’ll be stuck in a stupid statue for all eternity!”

“I don’t want to do that. What about his vessel? We should save whoever he’s possessing,” Pine Tree argued. Bill bit the inside of his cheek again, drawing blood this time. “Sorry, kid. Hate to break it to you, but the way this binding magic works is for the soul to be removed from the vessel permanently so he’s already gone.” Lie. Just a white lie. There wasn’t a deal holding him back so he could spare the kid’s feelings, right? It’s not like Pine Tree will be the one who traps Hector, but he will need the kid’s cooperation.

“Oh. I guess I don’t see the harm, but maybe we could convince the Gorgon to help us? I kinda have sway over some of the creatures in the woods so maybe we can-“

Bill held up his hand, “There’s no ‘we’ for this mission, Pine Tree. Shooting Star promised to go with me since you’re hurt but for some reason she insisted on waiting.”

A wave of hurt flashed across Pine Tree’s face, causing Bill’s chest to feel weird again. “I can go. This isn’t anything, I can still be useful,” he defended, gesturing to his arm.

“It’s not about whether or not you’re useful, it’s about you recovering so when we finally take on Hector again, you’re ready. Just do me a favor and convince those old geezers to stay out of it and let the youth handle this,” Bill said. Pine Tree started looking pale again. “Fine.”

Bill kept his gaze forward and passed the remote to Pine Tree.

“By the way, sometime in the next couple of days, I need to get my hands on ten gallons of jam.”

\-------------------------------

Mabel discovered that she has great instincts when it comes to hiring new people. Marty and Clara picked up things very quickly. Then again, they did have the experience. Clara worked as a waitress at Greasy’s for a bit last summer so cashiering and upselling for her was a breeze and Marty’s dad is a carpenter so repairs around the Shack were no biggie for him.  

Mabel donned Bill’s Mr. Mystery suit she tailored for him. It was a bit big, but nothing a few pins and clips couldn’t fix to temporarily to pull the suit in. They opened for afternoon tours and a few townsfolk came in to visit. They turned some really good profits. Mabel was confident that having new hires weren’t even going to put a dent in their income to expense ratio.

There was a lull when evening started setting in and Mabel was just about to close up shop when the bell rang, signifying a customer. Mabel turned to greet, but realized that it was Pacifica. “Paz! What brings you to our Little Shop of Horrors?” Mabel joked.

“I swear, if you make another plant say, ‘feed me, Paz’, I will throw it out of window,” Pacifica laughed. “But I just stopped in to see how you’re doing. How are your Grunkles and Dipper?”

“Grunkle Stan and Ford are doing well, but Dipper’s elbow and shoulder are sprained, so he won’t be able to do much for a couple weeks,” Mabel informed.

“Hey, that’s not as bad as we feared,” Paz said, trying to sound sincere. “You look a little distracted, is everything okay?” Mabel leaned on the counter and tilting her head as she asked.

“Huh? Oh yeah, it’s just I have this obligation party to go to where my parents talk business. I need a date, and my usual guy friend I drag to these things just got a serious girlfriend so he’s bringing her,” Paz said, crossing her arms in a huff.

“Aw, you don’t have anyone you like that you can ask?” Mabel asked. “First of all, a business party is not an ideal first date. If I really like someone, I’d like to actually spend a nice evening with them before scaring them off by bringing them to these things. Second, it’s not really a ‘date’, it’s more like I need an escort because even though I can clearly stand on my own two feet without anyone, I’m still a proper lady it’s still considered scandalous to not have man on my arm during these functions. Messes up the ‘ratio’ or some nonsense like that,” Paz ranted and Mabel’s heart went out to her.

“So I guess it would be considered even more scandalous if you went modern and I showed up on your arm, huh?” Mabel snickered and Paz blushed visibly. Mabel didn’t think that Pacifica could get flustered. It was kinda cute.

“Hah, well with the way I handle my family’s affairs, they wouldn’t be surprised if I showed up with a woman on my arm, but I don’t think they’re ready for me to start bringing that kind of modernism to the table just _yet_ ,” Paz said. “But, um, I wouldn’t mind taking you out to a nice dinner sometime so you can see what you’re missing, but without all of the boring business talk.”

Paz was beet red and she avoided Mabel’s gaze. Why was she blushing? They were just going to go out to dinner. Oh wait. Should she assume? No, no, they were friends, right? “Y-yeah. I’ll go out to dinner with you. It’ll be fun,” Mabel beamed her brightest smile and Pacifica looked ecstatic. _Do I have date with Pacifica?_

“Great! I’ll call you with the details later,” Paz said heading towards the door.

“Wait, Paz!” Worry washed over Pacifica’s face as if she was afraid Mabel might change her mind. “Why don’t you borrow Dipper for your business party? He’s just like me but without the boobs! Plus we went to a couple of events in college that taught you proper table etiquette for job interviews, so he knows a soup spoon from a salad fork,” Mabel offered.

“That’s not a bad idea.” Pacifica looked up thoughtfully. “He’ll be here tomorrow if you wanna drop by and ask him,” Mabel said with a smile.

“Yeah, I’ll do that. Thanks, Mabel,” Pacifica smiled brightly before leaving.

“Somebody’s in looooove,” Mabel heard two voices sing from behind the door leading into storage and her face flushed red. Clara and Marty saw the whole thing. “What? Nooo. Hey, here’s an idea. How about you crazy kids go home and come back around ten in the morning? Okay? Okay. Get out of here,” she shooed the laughing teenagers from the room.

\----------------------------------------------------

Dipper and Bill had fallen asleep on the couch watching movies. Dipper was actually really comfortable and warm being wrapped in a blanket with Bill and resting his head on his shoulder until someone shook him awake.

“M-mabel?” he slurred sleepily. She put her index finger over her lip to indicate ‘be quiet’ and practically dragged him off the couch. She dragged him into her room and he glanced at the clock. It was barely eight in the evening and he was still exhausted.

“Mabel, what is it?” he asked, trying his best to not sound annoyed. She handed him a small, white paper bag, “Here are your prescriptions from the doctors,” she said. “Oh, thanks?” he replied, looking through the bag of painkillers. His shoulder wasn’t really bothering him that much for the time being so he didn’t feel the need to take them.

“If this is all, I think I’m going to go-“

“I think I have a date with Pacifica!” Mabel blurted and Dipper fumbled and nearly dropped his medicine.

“Way to bury the lead, sis! You have a date with Paz?” he asked. “Well, I don’t know! She didn’t say anything official like ‘date’ but it was the _way_ that she asked me out to dinner that makes me think this is something more than just a friendly outing.”

Dipper scrunched his nose. “Uh, Mabes, I’m not sure I’m the one you should talk about this with. I mean-“

“Please, Dipper. You’re my best friend and I have no one else I can talk to this about with things getting weird. Please?” she looked up at him with pleading eyes and Dipper couldn’t say no.

“Fine. I guess the first question we should answer is, do you want to date Pacifica?” Dipper asked, sitting down on the edge of Mabel’s bed and patted for her to join him.

She bounced over to him and plopped down on the spot next to him. “I don’t know. Paz has become a really, really good friend over the years but as far as romance goes, I’m not sure.”

“Can you picture the two of you being together?” Dipper asked, using his own questions to reflect a bit on his own situation. Could he picture him and Bill together? It was difficult, but the image was there and wasn’t that much different from their current situation since Bill had no sense of personal space.

Mabel closed her eyes for a few moments and smiled, “Yeah, I think I can.”

“Then go for it. What’s the harm?”

“The harm is what if I’m misreading the situation? What if this is like totally innocent and I’m making it weird?” Mabel leaned back onto the bed and covered her face with a pillow.

Dipper yanked the pillow off of her face so she could hear him, “Then make it not weird. Go out, have a good time. Read the atmosphere. Do all that stupid romance stuff you taught me over the years,” Dipper said.  

“Okay. By the way, you have a date with her too,” Mabel slipped in casually and he froze. “Ha, what? Sorry. I couldn’t hear you because there was something _crazy_ in my ear for a second.”

“ _Your_ date is definitely innocent. She just needs an escort to a business party and she’s going to come to the Shack and ask you tomorrow, so you still have free reign to say no, but it’s really important to her. I could tell,” Mabel pleaded.

Dipper’s eye twitched a little, “We’ll see. When is it?”

“She didn’t say but you can ask her tomorrow,” Mabel said, sitting back up.

The door slamming open caught both of their attention. Bill had a sleepy look in his eyes and he strode up to the twins, squeezing in between them, forcing them apart, and laid on his back. “So what are we talking about?”

“Nothing, just some stuff and things,” Mabel answered vaguely.  

“Get plenty of rest tonight, Shooting Star because we’re going after that Gorgon tomorrow,” Bill casually informed.

“Mabel, you don’t have to go if you don’t want to. I can go,” Dipper pleaded again.

“I want to Bro-Bro. Hector harassed me for years and I want him out of our life for good. I’m willing to do whatever takes,” Mabel said with that determined look in her eye. “That’s the can do attitude I’m looking for, Star!” Bill said, twirling his finger in the air.

Dipper gulped. “So I guess that leaves me alone at the Shack?”

“No, Clara and Marty are going to be there. They are really good at their jobs. Clara works the register and Marty can handle maintenance so that leaves you with the Mystery Tours,” Mabel announced cheerfully and Dipper groaned. He hated doing the tours.

“Oh, don’t be a gooey chocolate chip cookie, Dip Dop. It’s just for one day,” she said with an eye roll and plopped backwards next to Bill and Dipper followed suit. This was comfortable. Really comfortable. The three of them laid horizontal on the bed with their legs dangling off. Dipper didn’t notice before, but Mabel had glow in the dark stars on her ceiling.

Bill started snoring lightly and Dipper repressed a snort at how easily the demon could fall asleep anywhere.

“Dipper?” he heard Mabel whisper.

“Yeah?” he whispered back.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for everything. Thank you for not shutting me out,” she said. Dipper couldn’t see her but he could hear the regret in her voice.

Could Dipper trust her again? He wasn’t sure but she was putting her best foot forward and doing everything she could to make things right. Unlike Ford. He hasn’t even heard from Ford since Mabel let their secret out. Hell, he made it obvious that he didn’t even want Dipper to know. It was obvious that not knowing where they stood was killing Mabel, so Dipper offered her a little bit of comfort.

“Mabel, no matter what, you’re my sister and I’ll always love you. I don’t think I could stop, even if I tried.”

“I love you too, Bro. Don’t ever doubt that,” she whispered, yawning at the end of her sentence. Dipper could feel his eyes drooping and briefly wondered if it was weird to fall asleep like this and then decided that he didn't care. After a few quiet moments, sleep eventually took all three of them. They were going to need their rest for tomorrow. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *dramatic noises* Sorry it took a little longer than a week to update. I had some person stuff happen but now I'm back on track. ^-^


	23. Manic Monday

Mabel plodded through the woods, following Bill. “How much longer, Bill?”

“Not much longer, Star.”

“You said that almost an hour ago, Bill.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, am I being too vague for you? Is that unexpected of me?” Bill replied, sarcastically.

“Actually, you’re either way too vague or way too obvious. There is absolutely no in between with you,” Mabel complained, knocking branches out of her way. Her back was sore from how she fell asleep last night. Eventually, she woke up in the middle of the night to find that her brother and Bill had left her bed and that she could sleep the way people were actually meant to sleep, but those couple of hours she was zonked out horizontally really did a number to her lower back.

“Then maybe you should just accept that we’ll get there when we get there,” Bill said while using a stick to knock spider webs out of the way.

“So what’s the game plan anyway? Am I going to have to close my eyes if she looks at me? What exactly are we doing?” Mabel asked. Bill was so vague with her before so now was the time for answers.

“You brought your sunglasses, like I told you, right?” Bill asked.

“Of course.”

“When I tell you to put them on, do not take them off for anything,” Bill commanded. “They’ll protect you from her power.  When we get there, you’re going to act like you were lost and need to rest for a minute. Get her guard down so I can strike. She doesn’t trust me so I can’t approach her.”

“What did you do to her?” Mabel asked, a little curious of Bill’s personal history.

“What do I usually do to people, Star? I promised something vague and didn’t deliver,” Bill rolled his eyes as if it was obvious. Well, it was actually really obvious, but that’s beside the point. “Well, I’m seeing less and less of that these days. You’re taking really good care of Dipper,” Mabel pointed out.

“Pine Tree doesn’t need me to take care of him. He does fine on his own,” Bill said without sparing a glance at Mabel. It clearly bugged him that Mabel was trying to say he’s being nice, but before she could retort, Bill held his hand up, stopping her. “We’re here,” he whispered.

“So, I just go in and say ‘hi’?” Mabel whispered back. “If you let me into you mindscape, I can guide you through what to say.”

“No way! I can talk just fine on my own.” Mabel was not about to let Bill into her head. She may have some trust in him, but not enough to do something like that.

“Fine, but we should have a signal in case she gets violent with you,” Bill said. “How about instead of saying Beetlejuice three times, I just say Bill Cipher. Or maybe I could actually call Beetlejuice, or the Candyman or-“

“Or maybe you should just start screaming and I’ll come in,” Bill deadpanned. Okay, guess Bill isn’t in a joking mood today, which is weird.

“Fine. Someone’s antsy to get back to Dipper,” Mabel muttered under her breath but Bill didn’t seem to notice.  

“Don’t forget your glasses,” Bill pointed out and Mabel fumbled with them before sliding them on her face.

Mabel took a deep breath and stumbled into the cave. Water soaked into her shoes and socks and the bottoms of her jeans were getting soaked through as well. She really did not dress correctly for this trip.

There was a light deeper in the cave and Mabel could have sworn she head a hiss. She shivered but pressed forward.

“H-hello?” she called out. “I-is someone there?”

Mabel continued to step forward when a silhouette stepped from the light and into her vision. “Hello?” a female voice called out.

“H-hi! I’m a bit lost. I, um, I didn’t realize that I was in someone else’s cave?” Mabel said, fumbling over her words as she took a few shaky steps forward.

“Get in here child, goodness, look at you poor thing. Care for some tea?” the voice asked in a warm tone. “O-oh. Um, yes please?” she agreed. When she stepped into the light, she saw the woman that was addressing her. She had green hair slicked back into a ponytail and wore a Bangles t-shirt and mom-jeans with some snakeskin boots. Huh. This wasn’t what she pictured at all. The furniture in here was pretty up to date too.

“Have a seat while I boil some water,” the Gorgon instructed. Mabel did as she was told and she couldn’t tell what her skin pigment really was underneath the sunglasses, but she imagined grey. Her lips and eyelids were definitely the same shade of  vibrant green as her hair and she had huge snake eyes that put Bill’s natural pupils to shame.

“T-thank you. You’re cavern is lovely,” Mabel complimented. “Oh, thank you! I got the design idea from my friend, the Hand Witch.”

“Oh! What a coincidence, I actually helped design the Hand Witch’s cave after she stole my Grunkle’s hands!” Mabel beamed and the Gorgon smiled at her as she moved to sit across from her on the couch. “Small world, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. I’m Mabel by the way,” Mabel introduced herself, reaching a hand out and after briefly shaking hands, the Gorgon introduced herself, “I’m Despoina. I’m a Gorgon if you can’t tell.”

“Pleased to make your acquaintance. I’m just a normal human,” Mabel waved. If Bill had told her that the Gorgon was going to be this nice, she would have come here by herself.

“So, what brings you to my cavern, Mabel? I believe I heard you shout something about being lost?” Despoina asked.

Mabel was about to answer when the small kettle on top of the wood burning stove went off. “Oh, pardon me. That’s the tea. Is regular black tea okay?”

“Yes, I’ll drink whatever you have, Despoina,” Mabel replied. She was actually enjoying herself.

When Despoina sat back down, the two made small talk about the Bangles t-shirt and Mabel told her that her mom used to play When a Hero Takes a Fall and dance with her when she would cry as a kid and Despoina talked about how she glamoured herself to look normal to go on their farewell tour years ago. Mabel was enjoying the Gorgon’s company despite how paranoid Bill was acting so Mabel took a leap of faith and brought up Hector.

“Ugh, I know him. He was here during that Weirdmageddon mess and I find him detestable,” Despoina said, taking a sip of her tea. “I know, and get this! I was tricked into brainwashing my brother by him!”

“No! Your own flesh and blood?! That is truly despicable,” Despoina responded, sitting on the edge of her seat.

“It’s true. Thank goodness I have such and understanding brother. If he stopped talking to me, I don’t know what I’d do. But I have a friend who says Hector used human binding magic so he’s kinda glued to his current vessel,” Mabel said.

“Say no more. I know what you can do,” Despoina rose up and walked over to one of her cabinets and grabbed a small glass vial. She put the vial underneath her eye and blinked until tears rolled down into it. Once the vial was about halfway full she stopped and handed the vial to Mabel. “Make him drink this. Anyone who forces someone to do something so despicable to their family deserves a fate of stone.”

Mabel smiled gratefully, “Thank you Despoina. Meeting you has been a pleasure. If you can manage to get another glamour, hit me up in Gravity Falls. We’ll go shopping. My friends will _love_ you.”

Despoina smiled, revealing her pointed snake-like teeth. “I would love that Mabel. Give my best to Hector after you make him drink this.”

Mabel stood up and cheerfully said, “Can do, sister-friend.”

Mabel practically bounced out of the cave when she ran smack dab into Bill, who was sneaking his way into the cave. “Shooting Star, you were supposed to stay in there and be a distraction,” he whispered in a huff. “No need. She gave me a tear,” Mabel said, handing Bill the vial.

Bill’s jaw would have hit the floor if it could. “A tear. She willingly gave you a tear? What did you give her in return?”

“I had tea with her and made plans to go shopping,” Mabel said with a shrug and then grabbed Bill by the elbow to lead him away from the cavern.

“Shooting Star, you clever girl! That’s a little more anticlimactic than I wanted, but I can’t believe-“

“’Can’t believe’ somewhere else. I just made a new friend and can’t be seen associating with you,” Mabel said, yanking him forward again earning his silence.

\---------------------------------------------------

“And on our last stop, you can see the glorious mothe- ahem- pardon me folks. The Bear-O-Dactyl. Half bear, half pterodactyl, all monster,” Dipper announced. He felt a little silly because he was wearing Stan’s old Man of Mystery suit that was way too big for him and _that_ was the third time today he almost said “motherfucking bear-o-dactyl” in front of the customers. Why Soos had to base an attraction after a viral Youtube video, he’ll never know but that stupid song played in his head all day.

The pile of customers shuffled around the gift shop and Clara got almost every single one of them in and out with at least one knick knack in each person’s arm. Not that Dipper was complaining, but what happened to the days when teenagers didn’t care about their summer jobs and just used it a place to hang out? Marty was really hardworking as well. He refurbished half of the displays and swept the gift shop in between tours.

Dipper was counting how many t-shirts were left when he heard the gift shop bell ring. Pacifica. Well, it’s not like he was completely unprepared for her visit.

“Hey, Paz. Mabel said I should be expecting you today,” Dipper greeted.

“I guess she told you about what I wanted to ask?” Pacifica said, putting one hand on her hip.

“Something about a date to business party?” Dipper cringed a little.

“I know it’s not your thing, but I’m expected to fill the seat next to mine and you’re the only guy around who doesn’t _want_ anything from me or my family,” Paz stated. Dipper furrowed his brow and considered it. Pacifica never really asked him for anything unless she _absolutely_ needed so he didn’t see the harm on losing out on one evening.  

“Fine, but just this once. When is it?” Dipper sighed out, not afraid to show how much he really didn’t want to do this.

“This Saturday. Don’t make plans tomorrow after work because we need to get you fitted for a suit,” Pacifica stated and Dipper bit his tongue to hold in a groan. He did not want to have to deal with a suit and an elbow brace at the same time.

“Fine. Is there anything else I need to know, Paz?”

“Yes, during the party, do not call me Paz. Just Pacifica,” she said with narrowed, but grateful eyes. Dipper almost opened his mouth to ask about hers and Mabel’s date(?), but decided against it. He really shouldn’t meddle in this particular affair.

“You got it. There won’t be dancing, will there?” Dipper asked, remembering the last time he attended a Northwest event.

“No, but get some insoles for the shoes I’m going to buy you. There’s going to be a lot of walking around,” Paz said before heading out the door. “See you tomorrow!”

“Wow, that Northwest chick, sure is forward. Asking, both you and your sister out,” Marty chuckled and Dipper elbowed him in the ribs with his good arm. “Hey, this is a totally different thing,” Dipper defended and Marty rubbed his side. “Yeah, I know. I don’t know why she just doesn’t take Mabel to the party,” Marty shrugged.

“Look, it’s really none of our business. She’s a friend, she asked me for a favor. Now get back to work,” Dipper said and tried to not to wince at how he was starting to sound a lot like Grunkle Stan.  

After Dipper said that, the day continued as usual. Dipper closed up shop around six and was ready to send Marty and Clara home. As he opened the door to let the teens out before locking up, he saw his car pull up to the Shack. Bill got out and walked past the two teens who greeted him awkwardly even though he didn’t even spare them a glance and went straight for Dipper, pulling him inside by his good shoulder.

“Ow!” Dipper yelped as he bad shoulder hit the door frame from being forced to suddenly turn around. Bill let him go and closed the door. “You okay?” 

“Yeah. What’s gotten into you? Where’s Mabel?” Dipper asked, still wincing from the pain.

“Long story short, we got a Gorgon’s tear and your sister is best friends with a monster now. She went back to the pool house for some inane reason. I wasn’t really paying attention when she told me why. So, what’s for dinner?” Bill said, stepping into the living room. “Um, I guess I can order us some pizza since cooking is a bit hard for me right now,” Dipper said.

“Sounds good, kid. Say, how long will it take for your body to heal?” Bill asked, while lifting a small glass vial into the light to look at it. “About two weeks,” Dipper informed, pulling out his cellphone to look up the number to the pizza place.

“Good. In two weeks, we strike,” Bill said with a sideways glance and large smile.

\------------------------

Pacifica had her work cut out for her and knew it when she looked Dipper up and down. “Okay, first things first, we need to get your hair cut today. I’m not going to have you wait until the last minute and have the’ just cut’ look at the party. Also, the event starts at seven, so I’m going to pick you up around six. It’s always good to show up a little early for these things,” Paz said, walking around Dipper to see what she had to work with.

Mabel and Bill leaned on the counter of the gift shop, watching Pacifica look Dipper over. She showed up a couple hours before closing and she was glad she did. “Do you mind if I go ahead and steal him from you?”

“No way, rich bi-Oof!” Bill started out but Mabel elbowed him in the ribs. “Just bring him back in one piece,” Mabel said with a smile and a wink.

“Can do. And um,” Paz bit her lower lip nervously, “We’re still on for Sunday night, right?”

Mabel blushed and nodded eagerly. “Yeah. We’re still on.”

“Good,” was the last thing Pacifica said before heading out to his car with Dipper tailing behind her. She hopped in the passenger seat while he climbed in the driver’s side and started the car.

“So, um. What are you and Mabel doing Sunday night?” he asked as he drove away from the Shack. Oh no. Should she tell Dipper that it’s a date? Would Mabel want him to know?

“I-I’m taking her out to a nice restaurant in town and then I’m going to take her the observatory in the hills.” Paz saw no real harm in telling him the activities at least. He snickered and said, “Sounds romantic.”

“It’s supposed to be,” Pacifica whispered. She wasn’t sure how to deal with this. She was great at handling her father’s company, but romance? She never really had the chance to dwell on romance so she wasn’t sure if she was doing this right. Sure, she had dated a few people, but she focused more on her ambitions more than anything. Changing the image of the Northwests from just snobs to a family that actually cares about other people in the community. That was her goal.

“Then why are you taking me to this party? You know Mabel would love to go,” Dipper kindly offered, his voice unusually soft towards her.

Paz bit her lip, “I just don’t think she’d have fun. This is technically a charity event, but we always discuss business during the social hour. It’s the next best place to strike deals other than the golf course but no one dares play golf against me since I’m the reigning champ at the club. Plus my Dad is the only other man seated with us and it looks good to have a well-rounded table.”

“Great, so I’m stuck listening to you guys talk business all night,” Dipper grumbled as he drove. “Unfortunately, yes,” Pacifica chirped as they pulled into the parking lot. “You know Mabel wouldn’t mind dealing with a bit of boredom to hang out with you,” Dipper said quietly.

“I just want to make sure she likes me before I start dragging her into the confusing affairs of my world. There are a lot of protocols and red tape and if I’m lucky enough for her to decide that she wants in, we’re going to have a lot to deal with. It’s already going to be frowned upon that you’re my escort since you’re not in our wealth class, but you have the town hero thing going for you so they can’t really say much to the guy that saved their lives ten years ago. But _actually_ being romantically involved is a different story altogether. I’m making changes, but Rome wasn’t built in a day, you know,” Paz explained.

“Wow, you really know how to make a guy feel important,” Dipper’s voice oozed sarcasm. “You know sarcasm is the lowest form of wit,” Paz spat as she unbuckled her seatbelt. “Tell that to a certain roommate of mine and he’ll argue you into the ground,” Dipper laughed as he got out of the car as well.

\-------------------------------------------------

Dipper was done the minute they walked into the mall. Paz shoved him into salon and his bangs were cut just a little too short for his liking. The bottom part of his birthmark was showing and Dipper cringed when he saw his reflection. Maybe he could convince Mabel to help him with some cover up. If he was lucky, his curls would cover it again within the week.

He felt self-conscious for the rest of the trip. He felt like people were staring even though the rational part of his brain knew that wasn’t true. He let out a relieved breath when they finally reached the store Paz wanted him to go into.

“Geez, why is the mall so crowded? It’s the middle of summer!” Dipper complained.

“Well, there are only two things to do in Gravity Falls and that’s go see a movie or shop and I guess shopping is in today,” Paz bluntly stated as she approached the desk. “He needs to be fitted for a two button, plain black suit. The accents should be navy blue and white,” Paz said to the woman working the desk. “Of course! And will you be charging this to your account, Ms. Northwest?” Pacifica nodded and waved her off while Dipper was whisked to the back room by two gentlemen. 

They undressed, dressed, and undressed him again in such a whirlwind that if they added sharks to the equation, they’d have a popular B-movie. The suit was tailored exactly to his specifications within a couple of hours. Last time he had to rent a suit he had to wait a week to get it tailored. _Money talks, I guess._ Dipper was a little uncomfortable with Paz paying for everything, but she insisted since she was forcing him to go to an even that he didn’t even want to be at.

Dipper drove the two of them back to the Shack and Bill practically pounced him when Dipper walked in, and Dipper clutched his new suit. “Let me see your suit, Pine Tree! C’mon!”

“Hm, no. I think you can wait to see it Saturday, like the rest of the world,” Dipper said thoughtfully, knowing that it would bug Bill if he couldn’t see the suit right away. “No way, Dipper. I wanna see the suit too!” Mabel argued, following Bill.

“No way, guys. You’ll just have to wait,” Dipper said, using his hurt arm as a shield to push past them, knowing that neither one of them would dare put pressure on his bad arm.

“Ugh, why do you have to drag Pine Tree to that stupid thing anyway? Why don’t you just take Shooting Star?” Bill complained and Dipper froze, wondering if she was actually going to answer that question.

“Because, I’m going to be entertaining a bunch of old fucks and I need a male butt to fill the chair next to mine,” Paz exclaimed and Dipper sighed. “Welp, if anything, Dip Dop is a male, and he does have a butt,” Mabel said, elbowing Paz playfully. “Yeah, let’s stop talking about my butt, please?” Dipper said, inching towards the stairs. 

Bill grumbled angrily and stormed into the living room. Dipper used that moment to escape upstairs and put his suit in the closet.

He enjoyed the quietness the attic offered if only for a moment because Bill barged in. “Pine Tree. Why are you even going to that boring party? We could have a much livelier shindig here, if you want.”

“Bill, why do you always fight me when I need to go off without you? Mabel will be keep you entertained. If not, I’m sure Stan wouldn’t mind some company. It’s not like Paz asks me for favors often,” Dipper sighed. He was too tired to deal with this.

Bill actually looked stumped for a minute. But instead of actually responding to Dipper’s question he just said, “Your haircut is stupid,” and went to his bed and crawled underneath the covers.

Dipper’s heart sunk a little at the comment but he nonetheless rolled his eyes at the demon’s childishness and walked downstairs to say goodbye to Paz but stopped himself from entering the room when he heard a snippet of the conversation.

They were talking about their date this Sunday so Dipper quietly backed up into the kitchen to heat up some leftover pizza. This was going to be another long weekend, wasn’t it?

\----------------------------------------

The next couple of days passed in a blur for Bill. Those two teenagers annoyed the shit out of him at first, but then he realized that they actually appreciated his wit and sense of humor. Then again, they never thought Bill was serious about half the things he said since they didn’t know his real identity, though the girl did have a weird conversation with him.

“Why do you always stare at Dipper?” Clara asked and Bill blinked. “What?”

“You’re always staring at him and I wanna know why,” Clara asked, earnestly again.

“Kid, I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Bill deflected the question. “Yes you do, you liar.” She said in a sing-song before she skipped off to help a customer. Bill did stare at Pine Tree a lot, but only because he was interesting to look at. Bill liked weird things and Pine Tree was different from the rest of humanity. Right? But that’s none of that teenager’s business.

When Saturday rolled around, Bill was banished to the living room while Shooting Star helped Pine Tree get dressed. Because he may have tried to catch the suit on fire. Twice. That way Pine Tree wouldn’t have anything to wear so he would have to stay home with Bill and Shooting Star. Pine Tree obviously didn’t want to go, so Bill was just trying to save him the effort, not that they appreciated it.

Hell, Bill even heard Pine Tree ask his sister from the top of the stairs, “How hard do you think I’ll have to fling myself down these stairs to get out of going to the party and not die?”

“I’m afraid as long as you’re still alive, you’re stuck doing this, Brosky.”  

When he finally heard the footsteps descending the stairs, Bill stared at Pine Tree as he walked down, keeping a scowl on his face despite the fact that his entire body suddenly started feeling warm. This time Bill knew for a fact that his human hormones were acting up.

 Pine Tree was in a black suit and a white shirt with a navy blue handkerchief and tie. He should be taking Pine Tree out like that. Not that _princess_.

Shooting Star trotted down the stairs after her brother, “How’re you holding up without the sling and brace?”

“I took some painkillers earlier, so I’m doing fine for now. The ace bandage is working as a good substitute and I have a pretty high threshold for pain so don’t worry,” Pine Tree stated. “You sure you don’t want your sling at least? Maybe we could-“

“I’ll be fine, Mabes. I’m only going to be gone for a few hours. I’m going to be bored, not swinging from chandeliers,” Pine Tree argued.

“Geez, kid. Just get out of here already,” Bill muttered, sourly.

“Bill, that was rude. You tell my brother he looks nice,” Shooting Star demanded and Bill turned his gaze to the window, too proud to give in. A honk outside indicated that the Northwest girl was here to pick up Pine Tree.

“That’s my ride. Don’t wait up,” Pine Tree said and Bill heard him rush out the door. Shooting Star plopped down on the couch next to Bill. “We need to talk.”

“I’m listening,” Bill said, keeping his frown intact.

“You’ve had an attitude ever since Dipper told you that he was going to hang out with Paz tonight. Why?” Shooting Star inquired.

“I have no idea what you’re talking abo-ooOow!” Shooting Star pinched his cheek and Bill slapped her hand away. “Stop doing that!” he felt his eyes turn red briefly but Shooting Star didn’t back down. “I’m done playing nice, Bill. You can’t act all possessive over Dipper. It’s not fair to him.”

“I don’t know-“ Shooting Star raised her hand again and Bill closed his mouth and scooted away before she could pinch him again. “Listen, I don’t know why I get angry. It’s not like it concerns me if he goes out and has fun with someone else,” Bill said, crossing his arms and leaning back into the couch. Shooting Star snickered at him. “You’ll figure it out sooner or later and he’s probably going to be miserable tonight if it makes you feel better. Just drop the ‘tude, dude or else Dipper is eventually going to get fed up with you.”

“Fine, fine. What do you want to watch?” Bill asked, picking up the remote to change the subject. “Actually, we’re having Marty and Clara over to hang out. You know, get to know them, some?” Shooting Star announced and Bill groaned as the doorbell rang as right on cue. “Why do we have to get to know those brats? They’re just working for us for the summer,” Bill complained. Seriously, these kids had nothing to offer Bill so he considered them a waste of time and space.

Shooting Star ignored Bill and jogged to the door. She led the teens into the living room as she chatted with them.

“And don’t mind that grump on the couch over there, I’m sure we can sway him into being fun.”

“Hey, I’m plenty of fun! I’m the definition of fun,” Bill defended as if he was issued a challenge. “Prove it! You’ve been moody the entire time we’ve working with you,” Marty snickered and Bill threw a couch pillow at him. Marty threw the pillow back and smacked Bill in the face but Shooting Star interjected before he could kick things up a notch. “Whoa, whoa, whoa! There will be plenty of time for roughhousing later. Let’s order some Chinese food and break out Cards Against Humanity!”

The teens cheered and Bill scrunched his nose. Sure, Shooting Star can do something against humanity but when Bill does it, it’s horrifying and apocalyptic. Those were his thoughts until he realized that she was talking about an actual card game. A rather fun one that Bill was really good at.

They all sat on the floor around the coffee table and chatted for a while.  The teens only asked a couple of annoying questions like, “Is that your natural hair color?” or “Why don’t we get nicknames?” and Bill deadpanned, “Because you’re not important enough.” Apparently that was funny to them because they busted out laughing.

Things were actually enjoyable, to Bill’s surprise, until Clara spotted something underneath the couch. She pulled out a pile of old magazines and Shooting Star gasped. “These are mine and Wendy’s from ten years ago! How the heck did they end up under here?”

“Wow, so this is what was in trend ten years ago? Yikes,” Marty said as he flipped through one of the magazines.

Clara flipped through a magazine and got an evil look on her face and she whispered in Shooting Star’s ear. Shooting Star eagerly snatched the magazine and looked at Bill. “Hey, B-William! I want to do something with you. Care to answer a few questions?” she spoke as if she was issuing a challenge so of course Bill’s pride answered, “Throw whatever you have at me, Star.”

“Okay, question one. The first time you saw, oh let’s just say Dipper for the fun of it, were you attracted to him in general, thought his personality was cool, or wanted him to notice you? And be honest! This is a sacred area. What happens at the Shack, stays at the Shack,” Star rambled on.

Bill reflected on her question and took it seriously. “I guess I’d say I wanted him to notice me? He was such a stick in the mud and didn’t want anything to do with me. Which was _his_ loss, but still.”

“Okay, I already know some of these answers,” Shooting Star gushed as she continued reading. “Next question. When Dipper isn’t around, do you feel bummed out, check his social media, or send him messages?”

Shooting Star made sure that Bill couldn’t message Pine Tree tonight by stealing his phone and when the kid went on that date last weekend, Bill kind of stalked him. “I guess feel bummed since I can’t do any of those other things right now,” Bill said with narrowed eyes. “But if I could, I would definitely send him messages of-”

“I don’t need to know,” Shooting Star said, her mouth twitching. She was right to stop him because if there was one source of weirdness in this human realm, it was the internet and Bill had plenty of fire power thanks to that. “Okay, next question. Do you like hanging out with Dipper because you have things in common or because of the way he looks.”

“I would not bother with him if we didn’t have anything to talk about,” Bill bluntly stated. It’s true that Pine Tree could hold a captivating conversation. Shooting Star scrunched her face as she looked at the magazine. “Does he make you laugh?”

“I can find almost anything hilarious on some level.” Bill answered but Shooting Star looked dissatisfied with his answer but moved on.   

“When Dipper is mean do you-“                                                                                                                        

Bill laughed loudly for a moment. Seriously, his lungs were about to collapse. “Pine Tree doesn’t have a mean bone in his body, and you of all people know that,” Bill retorted before Shooting Star could finish the question. She clicked her tongue and moved on. “True. He did cry during Bambi. Hmm, how to word this, how to word this? How strong would you say your bond with him is? Do you get bored with him after hanging out for a long time or do you never tire of him?”

Bill rolled his eyes, “If I ever got bored of him I’d ditch him. Seriously Shooting Star, it’s like you ‘ve never met me.”

Clara looked over Shooting Star’s shoulder and said, “Ooh, this one for this question and definitely this one for this question.”

“It’s not really a quiz if you pick out my answers,” Bill spoke with an eye twitch. “Yeah, but I still don’t trust you to be completely truthful,” she sneered back.

 “Just a couple more questions. Hmm, this question is weird. Would you want to fit into his crowd or watch him get dissed by his peers?” Shooting Star asked, raising an eyebrow at the magazine. “Well, half the reason I hang out with him is to get better at interacting with… people.” He remembered present company and had to stop himself from saying ‘humans’.

“Final question. Do you hope that Dipper appreciates you as much as you do him, asks you to hang out, or just secretly admires you in all your glory,” Shooting Star laced that last part with sarcasm. “Well, he’s kind of my partner on this mission to rectify _your_ mistake, so I’d want his feelings to match mine so we stay on the same page,” Bill answered coldly. Shooting Star’s eye twitched at his accusation but then she started laughing and Clara looked at the page she was on and started laughing too.

“What, what’s so funny?” Bill growled and Marty patted his back sympathetically. “Dude, they just quizzed you to see if you’re in love with Dipper.” Bill flared, “WHAT?” The girls started laughing louder. “No, no. It’s not love, don’t worry. You just got a little crush on him according to this,” Shooting Star howled with laughter and Bill felt his face go red. He briefly wondered how much Pine Tree would actually miss his sister and coworkers. And the Shack. And everything in it. He wanted to burn everything. Bill had pride and those kids stomped on it.

“Lighten up William, no one takes these quizzes seriously. Who you have a crush on is decided by you and you alone,” Clara clarified. “C’mon, Marty. It’s dark out, walk me home.” Marty complained but the two teens said goodbye and left.

Shooting Star waved a hand in front of Bill’s face to get his attention. “What?” Bill seethed.

“Are you mad? We were just having fun,” Shooting Star asked, taking a seat on the couch. “Why wouldn’t I be angry? You’re assuming that I feel things like a human, Shooting Star. Don’t forget that I’m a demon.”

“Of course I can’t forget you’re a demon. It’s actually pretty hard for me to sit here and pretend that this is normal, but as long as Dipper wants you around, I’ll just have to accept that you’re in my life and as someone in my life, I feel the need to tell you that you make fun of people a lot and if you can’t take us teasing you occasionally, then don’t dish it out,” Shooting Star said with a straight face. Bill had no defense for that. After a few silent moments he replied, “Fine. But can you explain a ‘crush’ to me? I don’t think Fez and Sixer covered that particular human emotion with me.”

“It’s when you like someone as more than a friend, but not really love them,” Shooting Star explained. Hmm, that actually summed up his feelings for Pine Tree quite nicely. Not that he was going to admit that. There was a spark between them that was stronger than friendship and now he had the name of it. Crush. Sounds violent, so he could be down with that.

“Now let’s watch a movie while we wait for Dipper to get back. He should be back within an hour so you can stop being Mr. Grumpypuss over there,” Shooting Star stated jokingly and turned on the TV. 

Time passed as they watched their movie and eventually Bill fell asleep on the armchair and Shooting Star fell asleep on the couch. Bill blinked his eyes blearily and noticed the time. It was past one in the morning. Pine Tree should be upstairs and in bed by now.

Bill trudged up the stairs and was going to give Pine Tree some form of hell and then go back to sleep. Only, Pine Tree wasn’t in his bed. Did he wander to Shooting Stars room? No, not in there either. Panic started to settle in Bill’s stupid human chest. _Where is he?_

Bill rushed downstairs and grabbed his phone from the flower pot that Shooting Star thought would hide it well enough. He called Pine Tree’s number but it went straight to voicemail. “Kid, you better call me back and tell me where you are, or else,” Bill threatened darkly.

What if Hector got him? What if the Northwest girl drove him into a ditch? He needed Pine Tree back in action as soon as possible and if he got himself hurt again then- “Bill? What are you doing, pacing the floor at,” Shooting Star looked at her phone and gasped, “One in the morning? Geez.”

“Pine Tree isn’t back. He said he was only going to gone a few hours, that _LIAR_ ,” Bill eyes flared and Shooting Star sat up.

“Calm down, Bill. Maybe Paz dropped him off at the pool house since it _is_ closer to her family’s home,” Shooting Star, suggested rationally.

She dialed someone on her cellphone and Bill said, “I already tried to call him-“ but was cut off by her holding her hand up for silence. “Paz? Hey Paz, where are you? Are you at a bar? Is Dipper there?”

Silence held the room while Mabel made a frustrated face. “Wait, what happened? Okay, okay. Geez, I’m going to be there soon. Sit tight.”

“What’s going on?” Bill asked, impatiently.

“Paz and Dipper are at a bar downtown. Something about her dad and some rumors. I couldn’t understand her too well, she’s drunk. Dipper is with her,” Shooting Star said, stretching before standing up.

“What the hell is Pine Tree doing at a bar?” Bill asked and Shooting Star just said, “I don’t know, but let’s go get them and find out,” as she led Bill to her car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the way, if anyone gets the Bear-O-Dactyl reference, I'm so sorry. If anyone goes and looks up the Bear-O-Dactyl reference because of this, please remember that you need me alive if you want this fic to continue. XD


	24. Everything

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've updated a couple of tags for this fic. I'm so bad at tags and descriptions so I hope everyone is cool with this? Not sure if this chapter counts as alcohol abuse, so I'm just going to leave a warning here just in case? But on the bright side, this is the second chapter I've uploaded one day! How about that?

Watching Pacifica talk business was a sight to behold. She really had a silver tongue that rivaled Bill’s, but was infinitely more charming than the demon’s brash and roundabout ways of striking deals. After they arrived at the event, Dipper had reintroduced herself to Preston and Priscilla Northwest and became acquainted to the two other women at the table. If he remembered correctly, one was named Leslie Weston and Jillian Allen.

After the announcements and the display on stage for the rare antiques or whatever these damned rich people were trying to support, Pacifica grabbed Dipper’s good arm and made him make the rounds with her and they ended up settling down at a table with one of her investors. Dipper tried his best to look like he wanted to do anything other than blow his brains out in this moment from sheer boredom and just smiled politely as Pacifica negotiated a new contract for her father’s business.

That was until someone caught his eye. A certain red-haired man with burn marks on scorched onto his face in the distance caught his attention. They locked eyes for a moment. Hector. What the hell was he doing here?

Paz was taking a break from talking to sip her drink and Hector continued to chat with the businessman he was talking to before and ignored Dipper. “Hey Pacifica? Who’s that? That man with the red hair,” Dipper asked, nodded towards Hector. The least he could do is get his vessel’s identity.  

“That’s Victor Young, he’s an insurance agent for half the people in this room,” Pacifica explained. “He doesn’t have a hand in your family’s investments, right?” Dipper asked nervously. “No, we use a different agency but he has a lot of influence in here. His father, Charlie Young, owns the insurance agency he works at so he didn’t really work to get where he’s at, but he’s a respected member of the community and a close family friend. Why do you ask?” Pacifica asked, nudging Dipper to get him to quit staring at the man.

The businessman that Paz was chatting with were staring at him now so he gave a vague, “Oh, he just looked familiar,” so she could go back to talking turkey with her investor.

Should he try to call Bill? No, if Bill caused a scene, then people might find out about him. And if people found out about him, well , Dipper didn’t want to think about what would happen. Hector seemed to be keeping up pretenses for this party, but why? Why didn’t he heal himself after their fight? What was he playing at? He seemed to fit right in so does that mean he’s been going to these things often?

It would make sense considering that he didn’t mess with Bill and Dipper on a regular basis so gaining reputation and power over humans might be what he does to bide his time. Hector seemed to be ignoring him for the time being, so Dipper just kept his nose in his own business for now, sparing glances at him occasionally.

Paz and Dipper circled around the party again and Dipper was introduced to more people than he could remember, but they all sure as hell remembered him. The dorky kid who helped save the town. _Yay_.  

About halfway through the party Dipper noticed more and more people staring at him. He wasn’t sure if he was being too self-conscious or what, but there were definite glares being shot in his direction instead of the questionable glances he received at first. “Pacifica?”

“I noticed it too. I don’t get it. It’s not like it’s the first time somebody brought someone from the middleclass to one of these events,” Paz stated, starting to look a little frantic. She called to someone familiar to her they turned their nose to her. What was going on? _Oh no_.

“Pacifica. Remember that demon that kidnapped my Grunkles?” Dipper leaned in close to whisper to her.

She nodded, “Yes.”

“Hector is possessing Victor Young,” Dipper said and Paz nearly dropped her champagne glass.

“Dipper. Do you know what he could do?” she asked with a terrified look in her eye. Before Dipper could respond, Preston approached them.

“Hands off my daughter you cretin,” he demanded, pulling Pacifica off his arm.

“Daddy, what’s going on? It’s Dipper, you know. Town hero?” she said, yanking her arm out of his grasp and setting her glass on one of the nearby dinner tables.

“I don’t care who he is, but he was the one who assaulted Victor Young. You should be in prison, or worse,” Preston said with a hard look in his eye. Shit. Is this why Hector didn’t heal himself after Bill beat the ever-loving crap out of him?

“Look, you got it all wrong, I didn’t-“

“Daddy, listen to me. You are making a scene. Dipper did not assault Victor. Victor is-“

“A good friend to the family and has been for many years. Mr. Pines however, disappeared ten years ago and just came back out of the woodworks from who knows where. I don’t know how he grew up, and neither do you!” Preston declared and went to pull Paz away from Dipper again but she slapped his hand away.

Paz took a deep breath before speaking. “Goodbye, Daddy. Enjoy the party,” she said before storming off. She was clearly holding back her words.

“Look, I’m serious. I did not assault him,” Dipper defended. It wasn’t a lie. Technically Bill assaulted him. But all Preston had to say was, “Just get out of my sight, Pines and don’t come near my family again.”

Dipper turned on his heel and lost track of where Paz ran off to. He stumbled around the disapproving glares, not really giving a shit what these rich assholes thought of him at the moment. All he needed to do was find Paz and get her out of there. They were hosting the party and the new Northwest house so maybe she was in her room?

Dipper treaded the empty hallways, searching the rooms when he was suddenly yanked into one of the doors he opened. Two red eyes glared at him in the darkness.

“Haven’t you done enough for one night?” Dipper asked harshly as he tried to yank his arm back with no avail. Hector had him by his bad arm and the strain was already too much for him. He was shoved up against the now closed door. Hector had one hand on his collar, the other on his bad shoulder and that’s all he needed to do to hold him down.

“I don’t think I have. Listen to me. If you join me in taking down Bill, I can make this all go away,” Hector said in a low voice.

“No way. I don’t give a damn what people think about me, and I know for a fact that the Sheriffs will have my back,” Dipper growled.

“It’s not all about you, Pines. How do you think Ms. Northwest will look when she takes your side? I know she will,” Hector replied smoothly. “She worked so hard for that reputation of hers and I can tear it down, oh so easily.”

Dipper thrashed, trying to get Hector to loosen his grip. “No way. I will never, ever, any under circumstances give into your demands. Paz can handle this. I have faith in her.”

Hector kept his thumb in Dipper’s bad shoulder, which resulted in a hiss escaping Dipper’s lips. “Am I going to have to hurt you to get your cooperation?”

“You already shot me, jackass,” Dipper replied curtly before Hector’s hand loosened Dipper’s tie and his heart nearly stopped. “What are you doing?”

“Relax, I just want to see the wound I left on you,” Hector said, unbuttoning Dipper’s shirt. He moved his hand to Dipper’s bad elbow and squeezed so hard that his knees almost buckled from the searing pain as Hector moved to remove his coat.

“Huh, Cipher did some excellent patch up work. You can’t even tell that’s new skin,” Hector said, examining his bare shoulder. Hector was so close. Too close. Too close. Oh, man, what is it with demon’s a personal space?  

“Let’s _break_ it in, shall we?” Hector said as he squeezed Dipper’s elbow to keep him from moving and bit into this shoulder, purposefully tearing the new flesh that Bill healed. Dipper’s head spun from the sudden surge of pain and then he was carelessly dropped to the floor. Hector stood over him and licked the blood off of his lips.

“Never had a taste for blood, but hopefully that will get Bill’s attention,” Hector stated as he stepped over Dipper to get to the door. “You already had his attention, you ass,” Dipper gasped from the floor, using his good arm to clutch his bleeding shoulder and kicked unsuccessfully at Hector. “

You don’t seem to realize just how in over your head you are. I wouldn’t take a close look at your life Pines, or else you might break down from what you find, just like you almost did five years ago. What’s even more sad is that you’ve allowed yourself to become Bill’s plaything and dug yourself into a deeper hole.”

“Fuck off,” Dipper spat, not really sure what he was talking about. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to know what he was talking about. He was in too much pain to car. Did Hector finish breaking his arm?

“Charming. If you change your mind and decide to join me, I have your journal you kept five years ago so you can see what you’re missing in your memories. See you around, ‘Pine Tree’,” Hector sneered as he left Dipper bleeding on the floor.

Dipper stood up and realized that the room he was forcefully pulled into was a bathroom. Convenient, at least. He locked the door and grabbed a hand towel. Hector had taken off his coat so he could at least try to cover up the blood on his shirt after he stopped the bleeding.

 Dipper looked in the mirror to see there was a chunk of skin missing. He considered going to the hospital for stitches but it looked like Hector just ripped the top layer of the epidermis so it would scab and hopefully heal over time.

Once he managed to get the bleeding to stop, Dipper threw his coat on and kept his neck scrunched to try and hide the blood on his collar. He managed to slip out of the house to find Paz’s car parked up front, running and waiting for him.

He hopped into the passenger seat and looked at her. Her face was blank. “I can’t go back in there again tonight. My reputation is going to be damaged, isn’t it?”

“Not unless you disown me and my family. I would understand if you do,” Dipper offered and Paz grinded her teeth. “No, I’m going to beat him at his own game.”

Dipper nodded, admiring her tenacity. “So, what do you want to do?”

“Tonight? If you’re drinking, I’m buying,” she said as she put the car in drive. “I’m down,” Dipper said. He just had a pretty horrifying experience so alcohol sounded good. Real good.

The two headed downtown to bar called Alchemy. It was a little packed since it was Saturday night, but Paz managed to secure two seats at the bar. They ordered their drinks and just drank in silence for a while and listened to the music. Dipper wanted to offer some words of comfort but couldn’t think of anything to say. Pacifica was his friend, but they weren’t that close. He didn’t know her like Mabel does. Maybe he should call Mabel to tell her what happened?

When he pulled his phone out, he realized that it had died. _Great_. Well, he could always get the bartender to call a cab for him later at least.

“Sorry,” Pacifica said, out of the blue. “If I didn’t drag you to that party, then none of this would have happened. Daddy even caused a scene. It was downright embarrassing.” She took a swig of her long island iced tea. “Hey, no. I should be the one who’s sorry. I should have told you sooner who Hector is and then maybe we could have done something about it.”

“Well then, cheers to both of us being screw ups,” Paz said holding up her glass. Dipper clinked his rum and coke to her drink and said, “I’ll drink to that,” before they both downed their drinks.

Eventually Dipper got a little overheated and took off his coat and people started staring. Oh right. Bloodstains. But the jacket was off and Dipper was committed to keeping it off so when someone asked him what happened, he just told them there was an incident with some red wine and they bought the story.

After a few drinks, Paz and Dipper started playing charades since they really couldn’t hear each other over music and no one was really winning or guessing. They were just acting more and more silly as the night progressed. He listened to Paz talk about how much she adores Mabel and Dipper wanted to talk about Bill _so_ _bad_ , but he wasn’t sure if he was ready to say his feelings out loud. It felt like that would really solidify things.

Later on, as Dipper ordered them a couple shots of tequila, Paz pulled out her buzzing phone. “Mabel? Hey! Just the person I was thinking about,” he heard her say. He saw the smile that she was wearing when she talked to his sister and knew that things were going to be just fine. Hopefully.

\-------------------------------

Bill was infuriated when Shooting Star insisted that she drove to pick Pine Tree and the Northwest girl up from the bar instead of letting him teleport to them. She said something about how he needed to cool off because he looked ready to kill someone. And he was.

When they walked into the bar, they noticed who they were looking for right away. They were in the party garb they were in when they left and did Pine Tree have blood on his shirt? Forget. Calm. There was about to be a motherfucking storm.

Bill felt the urge to hurt him. Pine Tree was covered in blood and he was throwing back drinks like it was no big deal. Humans are fragile! Doesn’t he know that? He is a human after so Bill thought Pine Tree would at least have some common sense.

Bill was seething, but the kid turned to see him and yelled, “BILL!” loudly over the music and just looked too damned happy. Bill immediately stopped himself from doing anything rash. Pine Tree was downright ecstatic to see him and that made him feel that same familiar warmth.

 Shooting Star’s little girlfriend was pretty wasted next to him and was about to fall out of her chair when Shooting Star caught her.

“Bill, Bill! C-come with me,” Pine Tree slurred out and then turned to his sister. “Take her home, Mabes. Our home. Her house isn’t safe.”

“Um, okay?” Shooting Star replied as Pine Tree stood up and started attempting to drag Bill, who held his ground. “Pine Tree, I _need_ you to tell me about the blood.”

“Oh, he uh, he spilled wine on his shirt,” the Northwest girl giggled out as she clung to Shooting Star.

“Really?” Shooting Star asked, but the other girl laughed. “No, but that’s what we’re telling everybody. Hey!”

Shooting Star leaned past the Northwest girl and started talking to bartender. They exchanged a few words that Bill couldn’t hear, probably over the matter of settling their tab, and then Shooting Star nodded to Bill and then towards the door.

Bill grabbed Pine Tree’s coat off of the back of the barstool and pulled him to the exit, while Shooting Star dragged the other girl out of there. When they reached the sidewalk, Pine Tree started pulling on Bill arm again and said something in a desperate voice, “C’mon, Bill! I need to show you something!”

“Fine,” Bill conceded and looked over at Shooting Star. “I’m going to see what this idiot wants and try to find out what happened. I’ll get him home safe, don’t worry,” Bill promised because Shooting Star needed constant assurance in that department. Yes, Pine Tree will get home safe. But being safe after he got home would be a different story.

Shooting Star gave Bill a nod as she helped the Northwest girl into her car. “Fine. I’m taking her to the Shack since it’s close by.”

Bill followed Pine Tree into town. The streets were quiet, despite Pine Tree’s drunken ramblings about college and some of the people he met at the party.

They stopped in front of an old timey theater. It was run down and boarded up. _Theatre Time Theater._

“Pine Tree, why did you drag me here?” Bill inquired and Pine Tree looked a little lost in thought.

“It’s closed down now. They built a new theater across town,” Pine Tree said, quietly as he swayed. “We should sneak in!” he said at a louder volume and began trying to fruitlessly pull some of the boards off the windows.

Bill rolled his eyes and stepped forward. He covered Pine Tree’s eyes from behind and teleported them into the building, center stage.  

He lowered his hands and Pine Tree giggled, “Hah! This is where Mabel kicked your butt!”

“No, this is where she kicked _your_ butt. It’s not _my_ fault your body was so weak,” Bill grouched. Why did Pine Tree want to come in here? This place held absolutely no pleasant memories for him.

Pine Tree chortled and then grabbed Bill’s hands, pulling him forward into an awkward dance. “Pine Tree, your shoulder? Your elbow?” Bill asked. Damn it, why couldn’t this kid take better care of himself?

“Oh, I lost feeling in them, well feeling s in general actually, a couple hours ago,” Pine Tree laughed and Bill pulled him close. He wrapped one are around his waist to hold him still and used his other hand to unbutton his shirt and peel back the collar. There was slightly sticky and bloody wound on Pine Tree shoulder. The edges were started to scab up.

“Pine Tree. What. Happened.”

Pine Tree sighed and tried to pull away from Bill but the demon was not about to let him off that easily. He kept his arms wrapped around his waist so he couldn’t escape.

“I’m sorry, Pine Tree, but have I ever been mistaken as someone who was patient? Answers. Now.”

Pine Tree slowly turned back to Bill and looked into his eyes. “Hector was at the party. His vessel’s name is –hic- Victor Young. He spread a rumor that I assaulted him and then he bit the shit out of me,” Pine Tree said, trying his best not to slur.

Bill’s grip tightened. “Why did you let him near you? Fuck. Pine Tree, he could have killed you!”

Pine Tree’s gaze lowered. Bill watched as the kid wetted his lips. “I know. But what does it matter to you? If I died, you would lose all the dead weight and could-“

“Pine Tree, no one likes a self-deprecated drunk. You _know_ your worth,” Bill spoke truthfully. Pine Tree had a lot to offer. He wasn’t afraid to do what was needed. He had good instincts. He was Bill’s… he was Bill’s what? Friend? No. What was that stupid word? Crush? What did that entail exactly? Bill really should have gotten a better definition from Shooting Star.  

“I do, I do know what I’m –hic- worth to myself. But what I don’t know is what I’m worth to you, please tell me?” Pine Tree practically whimpered as he cupped Bill’s cheeks with both his hands looked at him with wide eyes. Bill’s breath hitched at the sight. Pine Tree looked scared.

Bill’s human heart raced. He leaned in, knowing that the kid probably wouldn’t remember this in morning anyway. Pine Tree was all Bill had left in his human existence. Shooting Star even admitted to not wanting anything to do with him if Pine Tree didn’t want him there and Fez would be better off without him. Hell, even his friends from the Nightmare dimension seemed to be done with him if no one else has been sent to stop Hector.

Pine Tree was the only one that gave Bill worth.

 Pine Tree still had a need for him.

 “Everything.”

Their lips met chaste at first, until Pine Tree went from cupping Bill’s face to grasping at his shirt. Pine Tree panted for air so Bill used that as an opportunity to invade his mouth completely. He tasted like that tequila shot he just did and smelled like an old bar. Bill moved from Pine Tree’s mouth to his neck and down to his injured shoulder.

He kissed the bloodied wound and peppered some of his power into it so it would heal as he licked it. Pine Tree gasped and Bill could feel his weight starting to collapse in his arms. Bill pulled back once the wound was healed and looked at Pine Tree who was eagerly trying to clutch his shirt and pull him into another kiss, but Bill denied him.

The kid was probably going to hate him in the morning for going that far if he even remembered this in the morning. Humans got touchy about this kind of physical contact and it was hard to tell when it was acceptable or not. One of the many reasons Bill barely bothered with it before but this kid was starting to change his mind.

A whine escaped Pine Tree’s lips and Bill laughed at the sight of Pine Tree vying for his affection. “C’mon kid. You need water and some sleep.” Bill smirked to himself and decided one more wouldn’t hurt. He kissed Pine Tree again, and peeked from underneath his lashes to see if Pine Tree had his eyes closed before teleporting them to the pool house.

Once Pine Tree realized where they were, he pulled Bill towards him again and planted a kiss on Bill’s neck but Bill pushed him off and dragged him into the kitchen. Pine Tree was bubbly and he happily accepted the water that Bill dug out of the fridge for him. He had never seen the kid act this way. It was actually a pretty funny sight to behold. Pine Tree downed the water pretty quickly and then started to rest his head on the counter.

“Hey, kid. Wouldn’t you rather sleep in your bed?” Bill asked without really caring about the answer as he dragged Pine Tree to the stairs and then to his room. He threw Pine Tree onto the bed, but the kid caught Bill by the collar and dragged him down with him. He stared at Pine Tree who looked back at him with half lidded eyes.

“Bill,” he said quietly as one of his hands left Bill’s collar and touch his cheek. Pine Tree’s index finger rubbed the spot behind his ears and his heartbeat evened out. It was gentle. A type of gentle that Bill had only experienced with this human lying underneath him. Bill’s heartbeat picked up the pace again when Pine Tree stopped rubbing that spot behind his ear and moved his hand to Bill’s neck and gently pulled him down for another kiss.

One that Bill didn’t fight. When Bill pulled his lips from Pine Tree’s, he saw that the kid looked ready to fall asleep. “Go to sleep, kid. I’m going to give you hell in the morning,” Bill warned. It was true. Once Pine Tree was completely lucid, he was going to have hell to pay for making Bill worr- erm- go to a bar to pick him up at one in the morning.

“Stay in here with me tonight?” Pine Tree asked, biting his knuckle and looking away shyly. Bill gulped and then nodded. “Yeah, kid. I’ll keep you company.”  

\---------------------------------------

Dipper woke up with his head still spinning from last night’s trip to the bar. Yup. Yup. He was still drunk. He was about to go back to sleep when he realized what woke him up was the faint buzzing of his phone attached to the charger on his nightstand.

He picked it up and answered it groggily, “Hello?”

“PINES!” a familiar voice rang in his ear and Dipper dropped his phone. Dipper picked it back up and rolled on his back, “Vance, you asshat. What the fuck do you want?” Dipper asked his former college roommate.

“Haha, someone sounds hungover,” Vance laughed. “And someone is going to sound dead if you don’t tell me what you want in the next ten seconds,” Dipper replied angrily.

“I had a dream about you last night and it made me realize that we haven’t talked in a while.”

“If it was dirty, _please_ keep the details to yourself,” Dipper begged.

“That was one time! Let it go man,” Vance yelled defensively.

“Dude, you scarred me. You described it in such vivid detail that your girlfriend even got jealous!” Dipper complained.

“Whatever. Call me when the hangover’s gone. I wanna catch up!”

“Honestly, I think I’m still drunk,” Dipper admitted. “Grab some asprin and water while you still can, man! I’ll catch up with you later,” Vance demanded cheerfully.

“Sure thing, Cool Hand,” Dipper said, responded with his former roommate’s nickname.  

“You better, Kane,” Vance declared and hung up.

 Dipper dropped his phone on the ground and rolled over to see Bill staring into his eyes and Dipper would have flung himself off of the bed if Bill didn’t catch him by his waist.

Bill pulled him close and stared into his eyes as if he was looking for something. Dipper’s head swam and there was a pressure on his forehead that made it hard to think. “Can I help you?” Dipper asked, trying to sound polite instead of confused.

“No, I think I’m good. You should sleep if you’re in that bad of a bad mood. You were very rude to whoever that was,” Bill stated. “No I wasn’t. That was my roommate from college, Cool Ha- er Vance. You’d probably get along with him,” Dipper said, trying to suppress a yawn.

“Why did you call him Cool Hand?”

“Because his middle name is Lucas and he’s really good at poker, blackjack, and basically every card game so the name ‘Cool Hand’ suits him,” Dipper explained, purposefully omitting other games like Magic the Gathering and Card Fight Vanguard.

“Why did he call you Kane?” Bill asked, his eyes narrowed.

“Oh, you heard that? The guys were making fun of me one night saying that I love aliens so much that I’d probably let one live in my chest willingly, so they called me Kane for a while,” Dipper explained and Bill was giving him a blank look. “Both names are from classic movies, we’ll watch them together sometime.”

“How’s your shoulder?”

“I can’t feel it. I wonder if it’s because I’m still tipsy or-“ Dipper trailed off when Bill rolled on top of him. Dipper had his dress shirt and his dress pants from yesterday on, but Bill was just in his boxers.

“Pine Tree,” Bill had that serious look in his eye as he gazed down at Dipper. Dipper gulped down the lump in his throat. “Y-yeah?”

Bill leaned in and kissed him and Dipper felt like he died for a moment. _What the hell? Is this really happening?_ Bill’s kiss definitely had anger behind it. When Bill broke away he moved to Dipper’s neck and started sucking hard. “A-ah, Bill, what are you doing?” Dipper asked, trying not to sound too breathless.

“Kid, you pissed me off last night. I wanted to hurt you. Bad. But you wouldn’t have felt it or remembered it so I’m not leaving until I bruise you in one way, shape or form,” Bill stated harshly.

Bill went back to working on Dipper’s neck and shoulder. He bit his collarbone and Dipper tried to push him off, “Bill stop. I-“

Bill pulled away and looked Dipper dead in the eye, “You what? You were in danger last night. Why didn’t you call me and tell me Hector was there?”

“A lot of reasons. If you showed up and caused a scene, people would have known you’re back. Then what would have happened? You’d get run out of town or be forced into hiding and I didn’t want that,” Dipper tried to explain but Bill didn’t look like he was having any of his excuses.

“And then you went to get drunk with the Northwest girl,” Bill growled.

“Yes, she was having a bad night, and frankly so was I. I didn’t mean to drink that much, but it happened. What did you want me to do? Check in? Ask permission? I’m not your- Well, hell I don’t even know what we are, but you have no right to try and control me! She’s my friend and if I want to hang out with her, I will.” Dipper’s head was officially starting to ache. Bill was so fucking confusing. He was just making out with Dipper and now he’s jumping down his throat for going off without him? He was really making it hard to get a read on him.

“What if Hector had followed you to the bar? Hmm? What would have happened then?” Bill asked sitting up and crossing his arms. Dipper knew that he was being looked down on and pushed the asshole demon off of him. 

Bill landed with a thud on the floor and stared up at Dipper. “Bill, I did not stop living my life when you were an ever growing threat years ago and I’m not going to stop living my life because of Hector. I’m not afraid and I’m not going to hide and if you’re pissed off about that, I’m sorry but that’s your problem. Not mine.”

Bill stood up and his expression was fierce. Dipper had seen that look on his face, but never once directed at him.

“You ungrateful, selfish, single-minded mammal. You think that this is a game? When I was the threat, I was just fucking around half the time, lying in wait. I needed all of you alive to open the rift and start Weirdmageddon. Hector doesn’t need you. _I_ need you, don’t you get that?” Bill suddenly looked as if he said something he wasn’t supposed and turned around. “Forget it.” _Poof_. He was gone. And Dipper was left alone, feeling like a jackass.

Dipper plopped backwards on his bed and closed his eyes. He was going to have to buy that suit now. It was covered in blood and he couldn’t return it as a rental. _Wait_. Memories from last night suddenly crashed down on him. Bill kissed him last night too. Dipper shot back up at the realization and immediately regretted and fell back down, pain shooting down his shoulder to his torso.

There it is. There’s the stinging pain that had left him temporarily last night thanks to his good friends, Jose’ Cuervo and Captain Morgan. Bad mix but it did the trick last night.

He felt around on the floor for his phone and called the only person he could think of in this moment.

“Hey Brosky! How you feeling? Paz filled me in on what happened last night. How’s your shoulder?” Mabel asked worriedly. “Still in pain. How’s Paz? Is she feeling alright?”

“Yeah, she actually left about an hour ago. We’re still on for our date tonight but she said she had to go clear up the misunderstandings. Her dad has apparently dealt with demons in the past, so she’s sure she can convince him to spread the word about Hector, oh sorry, ‘Victor’ being mistaken about who he saw,” Mabel explained.

“Good, that’s good sis. Hey, um listen, something weird happened and I need to talk to you about it.”

“I’m all ears Dipping Dots!” Mabel cheered.

“Ah, well, er. It’s a little hard to talk about. Would it be weird if, um, I don’t know. IfIlikedBill,” he blurted out the last part of his sentence in a rush half hoping she didn’t hear. But she did. She’s Mabel so of course she could keep up with his nonsense. But she answered him seriously instead of gushing and he really appreciated that. “Does it feel weird for you?”

“No. It feels natural, but it’s hard to keep up with. He um, he kissed me last night and again this morning and then bitched me out for staying out late last night,” Dipper confessed, pulling his knees up to his chest as he talked about this.

“Hold that thought, because we’re going to circle back to him kissing you in a minute but first I have to say it’s _obvious_ that he’s jealous, Bro-Bro. Can’t you tell?” Mabel reasoned and Dipper could feel his cheeks getting warm. Jealousy is a very demon-like thing and Bill is indeed a demon.

“Jealousy is stupid. I mean, we’re not even together. We’re in this awkward limbo between friends and more than friends so he doesn’t really have the right to get mad,” Dipper huffed.

“Says the guy who turned back time like a gazillion times to keep Wendy from getting together with Robbie,” Mabel bluntly stated. Ouch. Low blow. Deserved, but that was still below the belt.

“Touché. I’ll talk to him and figure things out,” Dipper sighed, defeated. “That’s probably the most reasonable thing to do,” Mabel indicated cheerfully. “Now how about I come to the pool house and you can help me pick out an outfit for tonight and you tell me about the kiss and whether or not I should cheer him on or knock his teeth out?”

Dipper laughed, “Yeah, that sounds good, sis.” After hanging up, Dipper treaded to the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror. Bill left fucking hickies in the shape of a triangle on the side of his neck.

_Oh Dipper Pines. What have you gotten yourself into?_


	25. Crush

Stan quirked an eyebrow towards the demon that was now sitting across from him on the patio, outside of the Northwest Mansion. “Don’t you have better things to do than bother an old man on his off day?”

“You’re retired. Every day is an off day for you, you platitudinous, geezer,” Bill said with an eye roll. “Hey, just because I don’t know what you just called me, doesn’t mean that I can’t tell if it was insulting,” Stan huffed.

“Whatever,” Bill said before resting his head on the palm of his hand as he leaned onto the table. He had a downright exhausted expression plastered on his face and actually seemed to be _pouting_. “The hell has gotten into you? In the ten years we spent together I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen you look so,” Stan twirled his hand in the air as if he was trying to conjure the word that slipped his mind momentarily, “pathetic.”

Bill shot Stan a glare but then diverted his gaze into the distance. “At least I’m not as pathetic as an old man who has nothing better to do than to hang out with a demon on his off day,” he replied in an unoriginal way, which was a surefire way to tell that the demon was off kilter.

“Kid, if you got something on your mind, spit it out,” Stan said before taking a sip of his coffee. “What’s Sixer up to? Haven’t seen him in a while,” Bill asked, deflecting whatever the obvious problem was.

“He’s been helping Fiddleford with whatever monstrous contraption they have in the lower levels of the house. It’s apparently a huge project. He’s keeping busy since he probably doesn’t know how to approach anyone right now anyways,” Stan said, the last half of his sentence more to himself than to Bill.

“Hmm, maybe I should check to see what the geezers are cooking up,” Bill thought out loud as he fidgeted in his seat.

“Seriously, Bill. I am five seconds away from leaving you here alone if you don’t tell me what the hell you came here to talk about,” Stan sternly spoke. Bill stared at his nose and then back up at Stan. The next words out of the demon’s mouth were the last words he _ever_ expected.

“Do you know what it involves to have a crush on somebody?”

Stan bit his lip to fight the laughter that tried to leak out, but failed miserably. It’s been a while since he’s had a good laugh. “Bill you may be a demon, but you are a grown ass man and you do not get crushes. You’re either interested in someone or you’re not,” Stan said in between his laughs. There was something really comical about a demon coming to _him,_ him of all people _,_ for romantic advice.

“But how Shooting Star explained it made sense. It’s a stasis between friends and more than friends. I understand you slightly over evolved primates have your mating rituals, romances, and whatever other sickening things you do but even though I never felt like I needed it. But lately this body’s all like ‘Hey! Wake up and smell the time punch!’ and it’s making my human brain have weird thoughts and I have no clue what I really want,” Bill said, looking like he was having a hard time spitting those words out so Stan softened his expression.

Bill hasn’t come to Stan for advice in a couple of years and after the mess that happened a few days ago, he must really be desperate if he’s sniffing around here for help with the threat of Ford being able to pop in at any moment. The old man sighed and decided to give Bill a serious answer for his problem.

“You gotta go with your gut on these things. I know you didn’t exactly have a gut before, but deep down you’ll always know what you want. It’s just up to you to be brave enough to go and get it,” Stan started.  

“See, you saw humans as a singular entity before, but in reality every single human has their own story and life full of missed moments and opportunities but also moments of triumph. The only real advice I can give to you is to wait for your moment, don’t miss it, and remember that sometimes actions can speak louder than words,” Stan said, offering up his (rarely sought out) wisdom. Which was a damn shame, because Stan has seen a lot in his life.

Sure, he’s made some crappy decisions, but at least he can guide people through what not to do. “And one more thing, remember that relationships, no matter it be just a regular friendship or romantic, it’s always give and take. You have to give offer part of yourself without expecting anything in return.”

Bill actually gave him a thoughtful look and said, “I think I get what you mean.”

“So who’s the girl that caught your eye, Cipher? If I’m giving you this kind of advice, I should at least know who I’m sending to the slaughter,” Stan asked jokingly.

“Don’t worry about it,” Bill leaned back in his chair and waved him off. Stan’s eye twitched. “If it’s Mabel, so help me-“

“It’s not Shooting Star, I can one hundred percent guarantee that. Anyway, it’s been a blast, I’ve, uh, got things to do. Later Fez!” and he was gone in the blink of an eye. Stan knew that he disappeared to avoid addressing his question.

Whatever. So he promised that he wasn’t going after his grandniece, but the only other person he’s spent a lot of time with was Dipper. _Oh_.

So even though it wasn’t who he initially thought it would be, but unless there was someone he didn’t know about, it seemed that Bill still wanted to get involved with one of his family members.

Sure, the demon seemed to be calm now, but Stan knew that a romance gone sour could be something that might make Bill revert back to his old ways. Stan had seen it over the years, the way that Bill had changed. He grew. He learned. And even if the demon would rather crawl through broken glass on his way back to the Nightmare Realm than admit it, he felt sympathy towards the human race. Stan could see it in the demon’s eyes and actions. He watched all of these developments occur slowly over the years.

But Stan knew what a broken heart could do to a guy and he didn’t want to imagine what it would do to someone like Bill Cipher.

He was going to have to talk to Dipper.

\-------------------------------------------

Dipper treaded out of the bathroom fresh from a shower, sporting just a regular pair of jeans, a dark red t-shirt, and his sling and elbow brace on properly to see Mabel plopped on his bed and looking through his phone. “You finally done praying to the porcelain god?” she snickered. 

Dipper rolled his eyes and grabbed his glasses from his dresser before begrudgingly admitting, “Yes, I finished my hangover routine and I’m ready to get some food.” He was also thankful that the sling covered up the hickies. Mabel would have a field day if she saw them.

Mabel bounced off of the bed, “Good because I brought tacos!” she said in a sing-song voice before moving to the door and then she sharply turned around, almost causing Dipper to crash into her. “Wait, your shoulder. Is it bleeding? I can help bandage it if you need me to.”

Dipper used lifted his good arm and coughed into his fist to hide his blush, “No need. Bill actually healed me.” _While kissing me._ But she didn’t need to know that.

“Good. You need to stop getting yourself hurt, Brosky. Bill wasn’t the only worried one,” Mabel said, looking up through her lashes before turning on her heel to head downstairs. That was the second time someone he cared about made him feel like a jackass today. He really should have thought last night through a little better.

Dipper and Mabel sat down for breakfast (but really lunch) and she pried about Bill kissing him. He reluctantly told her when and where it happened. At first he didn’t want to include the details. He felt a little silly getting worked up over something as simple as a kiss, but Mabel beamed at him the entire time as if he was telling her the greatest love story she’s ever heard instead of ‘hey, so he kissed me and I sloppily kissed him back in my drunken stupor’. He even told her about how he wanted to die from embarrassment because of clingy and needy he acted since he was drunk, and then finally topped it all off by telling her about their argument this morning.

Then he admitted that it wasn’t the first time they had kissed and Mabel slammed her palms onto the table and looked like she was ready to jump across the counter at him. “What! Why didn’t you tell me?”

Dipper held up his hands defensively. “Because, it wasn’t really a meaningful kiss and I thought it wasn’t going to happen again. Honest. He was just using the kiss to show me that something was wrong with my head and then he promised he wouldn’t do it again because of the deal he had with the Stans.”

Mabel leaned back into her chair and shrugged. “Fine, I guess that makes sense because then Ford would have accused Bill of breaking the deal first even though he was the one who broke it five years ago. Man, things are messed up,” she bitterly admitted.

“Yeah,” Dipper agreed. “Hey. I actually have a question about five years ago,” Dipper said quietly. Mabel looked a little worried but nodded for him to continue. “Can you tell me what I was researching? Or even what I discovered?” Dipper asked.

Mabel gave him a sad look and said, “You were pretty cloak and dagger about the whole thing, actually. The only thing you really told me was that you had discovered how to get into the Mindscape on your own.” 

Dipper looked up thoughtfully and rubbed his chin. “Really? Huh, I wonder what I did with that knowledge? That’s probably how I found Hector.”

“Yeah, I think that too,” Mabel said, looking downwards. “It’s weird that he wanted to kill me back then, but now wants my help? Maybe that’s why he coaxed Ford into brainwashing me. Hector probably needs me for something. I haven’t told Bill this yet, but Hector said he has the journal I was keeping back then and it probably has my discoveries in it!” Dipper exclaimed before biting into his taco. Ah, the much needed hangover food.

“What are you going to do? Are you going to tell Bill?”

“Of course I’m going to tell him. Hector wanted me to make a deal with him, but Bill will actually help me get it back without selling my soul. Probably,” Dipper shrugged.

“But what if Hector catches on and destroys it?” Mabel asked, resting her elbows on the table now.

_Oh_. Dipper didn’t think about that. “I don’t know. I guess that’s a bridge I’ll have to cross when I get there because Bill and I kinda have a mutual trust thing going and I’m not stupid enough to spurn a demon.” _Or the guy I like._  

“Do you, er, do you think that Ford would know about what you were working on? You did consult him a lot back then,” Mabel whispered the question as if Ford was He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named at the moment.

Dipper furrowed his brows as he thought about this. Ford might know something but would he be willing to give it up? Dipper never did get his side of the story directly from him. Maybe there was some bigger reason for all of this. Ford was his hero for so long and always had his reasons for doing things a certain way. Dipper certainly wasn’t going to keep him on a pedestal anymore, but Ford being on their side would be helpful in the end as long as Dipper could convince him to give up his vendetta towards Bill. But the chances of that were pretty much slim to none.  

“I-I guess I could try to talk to him.”

“Well, how about I try to get your journal?” Mabel offered, sensing his uncomfortableness. “I mean, I’ve had past dealings with Hector before, so how about I see what I can pry from him?”

“But what would you have to offer in return? If you go and break a deal with him, you’ll pretty much be walking around with a giant target sign painted on your back! Plus he’s possessing this guy who has a lot of influence in the business world. What if he does something to prevent you from setting up shop in Gravity Falls?” Dipper was grateful to his sister for offering, but this was something different than the usual burdens she helped shoulder. Sure, Dipper’s life was getting more and more fucked but, but at least Mabel had a chance to live peacefully.

“That’s for _me_ to worry about, Bro-Bro. You know I can take care of myself. And if I fail, then we can talk to Ford,” Mabel said with a reassuring smile. One that made him remember that she had been dealing with Hector all alone for a while now. Guilt bit into his stomach again. “Okay, but we’re going to tell Bill about this. We need to be smart about this in case shit hits the fan.”

“No problem Brosky. All for one, and one for all!” she cheered chomping down on her last taco.

Dipper spent the rest of his early afternoon helping Mabel pick out a dress for her date. They went through the Mabel’s Five Stages of Outfit Grief.

First stage: She apparently doesn’t own clothes because she has absolutely nothing to wear.

Second Stage: Rip everything out of the closet.

Third Stage: Clutching her favorite outfits and swearing at herself for wearing them too often already.

Fourth Stage: Sweatertown.

Fifth Stage: Remembering that she went shopping the other day and that she had a brand new beautiful summer dress all along that goes with any occasion and the perfect shoes that she’s had since high school but feels the need to ask Dipper about it a million times anyway.

“Are you sure this dress is fine?” she asked as she emerged from the bathroom, wearing the designated dress.

“Yes, the dress is fine but the person in it, however, might not be,” Dipper said with an eye roll.

“Hey, I have a system and it works! Now get out so I can do my hair and make-up. I also I have a system for that and you’re a distraction,” she said taking one more twirl in front of the mirror.

“What? You don’t want me in here? My own sister is trying to throw her wounded brother out into the cold,” Dipper said, feigning hurt and Mabel started pushing him towards the door. “C’mon Bro, I don’t need you making me mess up my liquid liner, _again_ ,” she emphasized.  

“Fine. I think I wanna go into town anyway. Is there anything you want while I’m out?” Dipper asked as he was pushed passed the threshold of Mabel’s room. “Nah, I’m good. But, um, are you good to go out by yourself?” she asked, blatantly staring at his sling and elbow. “It’s not the first time I’ve hurt myself, Mabes and it’s not going to be the last. You don’t have to dote on me,” Dipper sighed out.

“Well if you weren’t such a trouble magnet, we wouldn’t have to worry,” Mabel teased and moved to close the door so Dipper quickly added in, jokingly, “Make sure you don’t put out unless she buys you dinner first!”

“Hardy har!” Mabel fake laughed through the door and Dipper snatched up his keys from the coffee table and headed to the car. He wanted to give Mabel some privacy for when Paz came to pick her up and he also wanted to go shop around for some things for his office. He decided that he was finally going make use of that room.

\-------------------------------------------

Bill came home to an empty house. Shooting Star was probably on her date, but he had no idea where Pine Tree was. Not that it mattered. _Apparently_ he didn’t _need_ Bill to go with him everywhere. Bill was just about to teleport to the Shack to see if Pine Tree went there when he heard a car pull up.

Bill saw whose car it was through the window and went to lean on the front door to wait for Pine Tree to open it. When Bill was suddenly in Pine Tree’s face, his expression went from complacent to startled and he stumbled backwards with a holler, but Bill skillfully caught him by his waist and pulled him up. “You really should work on how you greet people. That _almost_ hurt my feelings,” Bill said, smirking down at the panicked brunet in his arms. Once Pine Tree got his composure he shifted out of Bill’s arms and picked up the bag he dropped.

“Well, that’s how you get greeted when you decide to be creepy,” Pine Tree retorted before pulling out two DVDs from his bag and shoving them Bill’s hands. Bill looked at the titles and one read _Alien_ and the other _Cool_ _Hand_ _Luke_. Before Bill could say anything, Pine Tree just said, “I got them so we can watch them together. These were the movies I mentioned this morning.”

“Oh?” This wasn’t the conversation Bill thought Pine Tree would want to have.

“Yeah. I also wanted to say sorry for making you worry last night,” Pine Tree said, smiling up at Bill. It made the demon’s heart do a weird flip. He should really get that checked out by a human doctor. “Pssh, I don’t _worry_ Pine Tree. You’re death would have just been an inconvenience to me,” Bill said with an eye roll but glanced back down at the kid who was still smiling up at him. “Should I make popcorn?”

“No, I want to set up my office tonight and actually get some work done,” Pine Tree stated.

“Oh yeah. Didn’t Fordsie say something about you getting published? You wrote a book, right?” Bill asked just for the sake of being nosy. “Um, yeah. The publishers called me a couple days ago, actually. I told them I didn’t want to publish my story anymore,” Pine Tree stated as he finally walked into the house and closed the door.

Bill took the bags from his arms when he almost dropped them again. “Geez, you’re clumsy,” Bill muttered quietly before commenting on what the kid said. “Why did you do that? Wouldn’t that be another form of income you could use?” Bill ended up following Pine Tree up the stairs.

“Yeah, I do need the money but with the job I’ll be working at the Sheriff’s office, I’ll pretty much be able to do all the research I want and I don’t want to be taken as a crackpot who got too caught up in a fictional world when I decide to put my discoveries out there for real,” Pine Tree explained. It wasn’t a half-baked plan either but Bill wasn’t oblivious to the truth and his mouth moved before his human brain could stop his sarcastic spiel, “Yeah, and it’s not that you’re trying to avoid Sixer or anything.”

 Pine Tree visibly froze but recovered quickly. “Yeah, that’s part of it.”

“You can’t avoid him forever, kid,” Bill said, leaning on the door and crossing his arms. “I know. I might have to talk to him sooner than I want to, though,” Pine Tree mumbled and Bill tilted his head. “Why is that?”

Pine Tree sat in the chair at his desk, “Because I need to figure out what I discovered five years ago. I need to know what I was working on.”

“Why? You probably discovered Hector’s big plans to take over the Mindscape or something like that,” Bill reasoned. Hector wasn’t always the sharpest tool in the shed and was never one for bigger ambitions.

“No, I feel like it was bigger than that. If I had discovered something as simple as his ploy for power or-or even you coming back, then it wouldn’t have mattered. How would I be able to get in his way? If he let me be all those years ago before you were reintroduced into my life, I probably wouldn’t have stood in his way if your life was all he was after.” Pine Tree’s words were oddly painful and brutally honest. But the kid was stressing out about the whole truth and Bill could see that clearly.

Fez’s advice from earlier today resounded in him. It was time to offer up a little bit of truth about the whole situation.

“Revenge,” Bill muttered.

Pine Tree’s head perked up. “What?”

“He doesn’t just want power, he wants revenge,” Bill said through grit teeth.

“What?” Pine Tree asked again, staring at Bill. Bill gulped and wished he could take back his words, but he already started the story so he might as well finish it.

“Hector is from my home dimension. The one I destroyed,” Bill looked at Pine Tree with a straight face and Pine Tree looked away and hesitantly said, “I-I see. Why did you keep him around then?”

“Because he wanted to watch it burn as well but he felt something I didn’t. Regret. And now he blames me completely,” Bill didn’t change his tone once as he talked. He kept his voice smooth so Pine Tree would know how serious he was.

“But, during Weirdmageddon-“

“He was relieved to be out of the Nightmare Realm and I had the ultimate power. Do you really think he was going to challenge me then?”

Pine Tree gave a small smirk, “I challenged you,” but then his face fell again, “But I don’t think that’s still a big enough reason for him to brainwash me. Once again, five years ago I wouldn’t have stood in his way. Especially if he explained it to me like that.”

“Yeah, I suppose you’re right.” Bill’s stomach turned.

“But, Hector did tell me something interesting last night,” Pine Tree said, avoiding Bill’s gaze. “He told me that he has my journal I kept five years ago. It could be the key to getting my memories back, like how Grunkle Stan got his memories back from Mabel’s scrapbooks.”

Bill’s gaze darkened. “Oh really? And what did he ask for in return?”

“For me to help him. But of course I’m not stupid enough to do that,” Pine Tree snorted like Hector was a joke and Bill felt a little relieved. He was right to place all of his bets into Pine Tree. The kid is smart and loyal to a fault.

“Mabel offered to trick him for us, but I really don’t want her getting involved on that level. I could, um, talk to Ford,” Pine Tree mumbled. “He might remember what I was doing all those years ago.”

“Don’t stress out about it right now, kid. We have two weeks to come up with a plan, just don’t get yourself hurt again, okay?” Bill demanded, his voice sounding sharp. Pine Tree flashed him a smile and nodded.

“Okay,” the kid said, standing up, “Let’s go watch those movies. I don’t think I can be productive anymore today.”

Bill watched the brunet as he left the room and soon followed him. Pine Tree had a point. There had to be more going on with Hector than what he was letting on.

\-----------------------------------------

~~If Dipper didn’t know any better,~~ actually scratch that, he did know that Bill was testing his boundaries. It started when Bill pulled him by the waist and made Dipper lean his back against the demon’s chest. Fine, that’s not unusual. If there’s one thing Bill is, it’s clingy. Then he nuzzled his nose into Dipper’s neck and shoulder area and he could have sworn the demon sniffed him. Weird.

Then Bill tugged on Dipper’s sling. “Wouldn’t you be more comfortable without this?”

“Not really. I kinda need it to keep my shoulder in place,” Dipper murmured and Bill continued resting his chin on his good shoulder and mumbled something he didn’t understand. He was probably just disappointed that he couldn’t see the freaking hickies he left on him this morning.

That _was_ what he thought until he felt exceptionally warm lips on the side of his neck and Dipper was on the other side of the couch so fast that he knocked his bad elbow into the arm of the couch and let out a loud yelp.

“Geez, Pine Tree, if you hate it just say so,” Bill said, with a flashy grin. “It’s not that I hate it, but-“ Dipper stopped himself from finishing that sentence after the look the demon gave him. “Look, we need to set some boundaries.”

Bill rested his elbow on his knee and his head in the palm of his hand, “And why do you think we need boundaries? You weren’t complaining last night.”

Dipper flushed. It’s true. He let the demon get to close to him physically and even begged him to stay in the same bed last night. “Because these aren’t- I mean, I just can’t, I really just-“ Dipper was tripping over his words and Bill thankfully stopped him from continuing to make a fool out of himself. “Look, I won’t do it again. Now come here,” Bill patted the spot next to him and didn’t touch him for the rest of the movie, but he didn’t ignore Dipper either. He asked questions about _Cool Hand Luke_ and called Dipper unoriginal for not coming up with a better nickname for his friend.

When they popped _Alien_ into the DVD player, Dipper was already getting sleepy. He chewed on his lower lip for a moment and decided to take a chance. He leaned lightly on Bill’s shoulder and the demon stiffened. It was obvious that he was uncomfortable with it so Dipper was about to lean the other way when an arm snaked its way around his waist and pulled him closer. Bill didn’t look at him but the brunet could feel the demon’s body relax next to him.

There were words on the tip of his tongue. Dipper really wanted to ask about the nature of their relationship, but couldn’t bring himself to. Not tonight. Maybe after this Hector business blows over because Dipper couldn’t afford to jeopardize whatever was starting to bud between them during this crucial time. Also, he felt comfortable staying in this safe perpetuity of just being a little overfriendly. Yes, he wanted more than this but he was also fine with this for now.

Dipper could tell Bill wanted more, god he made it obvious that he was starting to want more (physically at least), but it was hard to tell if his actions matched his actual feelings. He’s still a demon and Dipper couldn’t forget that. He had done a lot of horrible things in the past. But they made a good team. But he had also tried to destroy the world. But now that ability is completely out of his hands. For now.

Dipper was going to have to talk to him about all of these things eventually, but for now he just stayed comfortable next to Bill while watching a Xenomorph pop out of John Hurt’s chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy first day of Halloween everyone! <3 
> 
> I finally did a digital BillDip pic if you're interested here: http://purplerivulets.tumblr.com/post/151121394790/is-this-too-close-for-you-pine-tree-nah-its
> 
> *laughs nervously when I realize that my Bill kinda looks like a bishie gangster*


	26. Shadow Dancing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a brief anxiety attack mention towards the end of this chapter.

Dipper blinked blearily into the darkness. He went to bed just a couple hours ago and he heard a noise in his room. He rubbed his eyes and could see Mabel’s silhouette in the darkness. “Mabes? What are you doing in here?” he asked, already knowing that she probably came in here to gush about her date. This was something that transpired pretty often high school and occasionally in college.

“Mabel?” he called out again when he turned on his bedside lamp and her silhouette disappeared into thin air. Dipper sat up out of his bed quickly. _What the hell was that?_ He wasn’t dreaming, he was sure of that at least. His first instinct was to rush downstairs and check on Mabel. _She should be back from her date by now, right?_

He quietly opened her door and could see her breathing underneath her bed sheets, brown hair splayed everywhere. Dipper let out a quiet sigh and closed the door. What did he see earlier? Was he hallucinating? He thought about it for a few moments on how lucid he was the time and he felt like he wasn’t seeing things. But, that’s probably what seeing things that aren’t really there feels like. Either way he was not getting back to sleep tonight.

He went to his office and grabbed his notebook he bought in Portland and grabbed the binder he just bought yesterday and went downstairs to the extremely well-lit kitchen and worked on copying the things he had been writing down into the binder in a more organized way.

This project did the trick and kept him up until the sun started rising. When natural light started showing outside, Dipper stood up and stretched before moving to make an extremely strong pot of coffee. There was no way he was going to get through today without it.

Mabel came shuffling into the room moments later with a yawn, “Morning. You’re up early.”

“Ha, yeah. Actually I couldn’t sleep. I had a really freaky _Lights Out_ moment last night and couldn’t get back to bed,” Dipper said and Bill’s voice came from the staircase as he came treading into the kitchen, “What’s _Lights Out_?”

“It’s another movie. I was probably dreaming or something but I thought that I saw Mabel in my room last night and she disappeared when I turned on the lights,” Dipper explained as he poured himself a cup of coffee and didn’t bother adding sugar or creamer to his cup this time. 

“It could have been a Shadow Person, which is strange because normally I can sense when something from the Nightmare Realm or Mindscape is close, like how I could sense Hector’s influence on you,” Bill said, tiredly as he took a seat at the table.

“You could sense it? I thought you just saw that I was different from how I used to be?” Dipper asked, taking another sip and then heard Mabel gag next to him. “Ugh, Bro! What is this? Did you pour the souls of the undead into the coffee? It’s so bitter,” Mabel whined while making a face at her own coffee cup.

“Sorry, I made an extra strong pot,” Dipper said before taking an unapologetic sip from his own cup. Mabel discarded hers and grabbed some of her premade Mabel juice from the fridge. “You’re lucky I keep extra stock on hand,” she grumbled and Dipper turned back to Bill. “Anyway, you said you could sense it?”

Bill rolled his eyes and explained, “Yes, Pine Tree. Don’t you listen? I told you that you radiated this weird warm energy. It was completely unnatural compared to the warmth you radiate now.”

“I still radiate warmth?” Dipper asked, mulling over this new information. “Yeah, it’s hard to explain, but I feel warm around you. It’s nice.” Dipper nearly choked on his coffee. He turned around and clutched the counter in a coughing fit while Mabel patted his back. “Don’t die, Bro-Bro. I still need to tell you about my date,” she snickered.

“Y-yeah. Um, how about I get breakfast started?” Dipper offered and quickly moved to the fridge, but Mabel grabbed his shirt to stop him from moving forward. “You only have one good arm right now, leave breakfast to me,” Mabel said cheerfully, gently nudging him towards the table with Bill so Dipper sat down next to him compliantly.

Bill was already looking through one of his notebooks and Dipper organized the papers that the demon didn’t have his nose in to make room for everyone to eat their breakfast. Mabel hummed to herself while she cooked and Dipper was about to move his notebooks off of the table when Bill grabbed the pile away from him.

“I’ll put these upstairs,” he simply stated before carrying them away. “Aw, see? He does care,” Mabel teased as she separated the eggs and bacon onto three different plates as she waited for the toast to finish cooking. “More like he thinks I’ll screw up and hurt myself again,” Dipper mumbled. “If you say so,” Mabel sang as she carried all three plates to the table like a waitress would with one plate in each hand and the last plate on her extended elbow. It was a little trick she picked up working part time during college.

Mabel set the plates down and Bill was back by Dipper’s side. “Looks good Shooting Star,” he said before digging in. After Dipper gulped down his first bite, he said, “So you were going to tell us about your date?”

Mabel immediately got into it. “Okay, okay. First we went out to dinner at this little French bistro downtown. We got all the unpleasant talk out of the way there.” “Wait, unpleasant talk?” Dipper asked, thoroughly confused. “You know, talk about Hector and her father, keep up Brosky,” Mabel said and Bill snickered in between bites.

“Anywho, she said that she calmed her father down so you’re not a pariah to the Northwest household anymore. Later, you’re going to get an invite to dinner for a formal apology, by the way,” Mabel explained.

“Great,” Dipper said sarcastically. “Do I have to accept?”

“Yes, you do. And I’m going to go to, but Hec- er, ‘Victor’ won’t be there this time, just Paz’s family,” Mabel announced using finger quotes.  

“And if you think you’re going without me again, you’ve got another thing coming. I don’t care if Hector will be there or not,” Bill said and it was obvious that he was partially concerned about Hector and he partially didn’t want to be left out again.

“Fine, fine,” Dipper said. He didn’t really have any complaints about Bill tagging along anyway since he knew that the demon could behave in front of others . “It’s good that we have that covered. So what happened after that?” Dipper asked, ready to change the subject from his debacle at the Northwest house.

“She took me to an observatory in the hills! It was _magical_! I mean it! It’s very cozy and romantic and there’s this show that plays and explains the stories behind the constellations!” Mabel gushed. “You two should go sometime,” she added with a wink.

“That sounds pretty nice,” Dipper admitted. “Though I think I’d rather go camping and sleep under the stars. It’s been a while since I’ve done that.”

Bill scoffed, “I don’t get why you humans get so caught up in looking at the sky. It’s a pointless activity unless you know, there’s flying harpies and eyeball monsters swarming. Now that’s a sight to behold.”

“We like it because it’s humbling. It makes you feel small in this giant universe, you know?” Dipper explained. “It’s kind of an amazing feeling to know that somehow you exist in a universe full of endless possibilities.”

Bill scowled at Dipper and then continued to pick at his food. Did he offend him somehow? Probably since Bill wants the universe to revolve around him.

Dipper turned back to his sister and asked, “So did you go anywhere after?”

“No, it was pretty late by the time we were done at the observatory so she dropped me off here. But, um, she did kiss me goodnight,” Mabel said with a very visible blush which was a sure sign that she was happy.

“Good for you, sis. I’m glad that you had a good first date,” Dipper exclaimed happily and Bill crossed his arms and tilted his head. “What’s so special about kissing? I know it’s what you humans do to show potential mates that you’re inter-“

“Let me stop you right there, Bill. I’m gonna learn ya a thing or two,” Mabel said with a goofy voice before turning deathly serious. “Kisses are passionate things you do when, and when you are, and _only_ when you are, interested in being in a romantic relationship with someone. If someone rejects the kiss or doesn’t kiss back, that means they’re not interested and that you should back off.” Bill’s eyes darkened. “I understand,” the demon said before getting up. “Thanks for breakfast Star. I’m leaving for a while, so don’t wait up.” And he was gone in the blink of an eye.

“Was it something I said?” Mabel asked and Dipper groaned and put his head in his hand. “Mabel, I didn’t kiss him back yesterday morning. As a matter of fact, I told him to stop and now he thinks I’m not interested.”

“That just means it’s up to you to clear the air,” Mabel said, putting the plates away. “But Mab-“

“No ‘buts’ Dipper. Even before the incident five years ago, you’ve been really passive about your relationships. You clearly know what you want, just go and get it,” Mabel encouraged.

“I’m not passi-“

“You are, and you wanna know why? It’s because you’re afraid of getting hurt, Dipper. You’re afraid of getting hurt and then not having that person in your life at all anymore,” Mabel said, hitting the problem point blank. Dipper has always been afraid to overstep those bounds, especially when he didn’t know if his feelings would be returned one hundred percent.

“You’re right, Mabel. You are _so_ right. How do you do it? How do you constantly put yourself out there, knowing that you might get hurt or that you might lose someone who’s important to you?” Dipper asked, trying not to bang his head on the table at the realization.

“I just think to myself ‘if I can make this work then it’s going to all be worth it in the end’ and I just go for it. I’d rather try, instead of daydreaming about what I might have missed out on,” Mabel answered, earnestly.

“Okay, I’ll do it. After we defeat Hector though,” Dipper said with a sigh.  

“Why wait? He’s sooo got it bad for you, Bro,” Mabel assured and Dipper could feel his cheeks turn warm at the thought. “What if something happens, and we screw up going after Hector?”

“That’s a pretty good point, but I don’t think that’s going to happen. I’ll be honest, you being together with a demon kinda weirds me out, but if you could see how you act around each other you’d be like, ‘ugh, just kiss already’ I mean, damn,” Mabel said while using her hands to make kissing motions.

“I’ll think about it.” Dipper was really done with this conversation. Why couldn’t Mabel just let him go at his own pace? Though, she did have a really good point. Why was Dipper so afraid of rejection? Ah, Bill would definitely laugh at him if Dipper walked up to him and said, “Hey, I like you. Let’s go steady?” What are the social procedures for confessing your feelings to a demon?

\---------------------------------------

Stan noticed Dipper’s car outside of the pool house and decided that if he was going to talk to him, sooner would be better than later. He approached the door and knocked loudly. He tapped his foot as he waited and Dipper eventually opened the door.

“Oh, hey Grunkle Stan,” the kid greeted as he stepped aside for him. “Hey, is Bill or Mabel here?” Stan asked before stepping inside. “No. Bill went off somewhere and Mabel went to the mall.”

“Good,” Stan said as he brushed past Dipper and went into the living room. He plopped down on the arm chair and Dipper sat over on the couch. “So what’s up?” he asked casually.

“Listen, we need to talk about Bill,” Stan said, getting right to the point. Dipper had a confused look on his face but nodded for him to continue. Man, this is an awkward subject. He should probably approach this delicately. Maybe he assumed wrong about where the demon’s affections are going so he should probably clarify that first. “Is Bill seeing someone?” Dipper sputtered and looked at him with the eyes so wide that he put his sister’s stuffed animal collection to shame. “G-Grunkle Stan, are you-?”

“What? No, no. God, no! He just came to me for advice the other day so I was trying to see if there was someone, you know, romantic in his life,” Stan said, trying to keep his eye twitch under control. Dipper let out a breath of relief and looked at him. “No, he’s not involved with anyone.” Dipper gave him a good smile, but Stan could see through his poker face from a mile away.

“Look, you can be honest with me, Dipper,” Stan said, trying to coax the truth out of him. Dipper looked away and then resigned to telling him, “We’re not seeing each other. But I think he’s interested? He’s been dropping some pretty heavy hints.” His great nephew looked pretty confused about the whole situation as well.

“Look, this is between you and Bill and isn’t really any of my business. I just wanted to tell you to be careful. This is a guy who might not have the ultimate power at his fingertips right now, but he will later. Bill has made a lot of progress, but do not forget who you’re dealing with and how temperamental he can be,” Stan warned and Dipper only nodded slowly in response.

“I know I’m sounding like I’m being overprotective, but just do me a favor. If you decide to get into this thing, go in one hundred percent. Nothing less,” Stan said standing up.

Dipper stood up too, presumably to walk him to the door. “Just so you know where I stand in this whole situation, I like Bil-billiards! Man, do I love playing pool,” Dipper laughed nervously as Bill suddenly appeared in the living room. “Geez, it’s like you want to give this old man a heart attack,” Stan grumbled grumpily.

“Sorry, I wasn’t expecting a geezer to be in this room,” Bill snarked and then turned to Dipper. “I’m hungry, let’s get lunch Pine Tree. You too, Fez. We’ll go to Greasy’s since you’re so set on dying from a heart attack.”

“Nah, you kids go have fun. Just remember what we talked about, Dipper,” Stan said and Dipper gave him a nod. “Yeah, I promise to use my judgement.” And that was all Stan needed before walking out the door.

Stan let out a small chuckle when he heard the bits of their conversation as he left. Bill was being nosy and Dipper just said, “Oh, he just, uh, made me promise not to get myself hurt again.” “Oh.”

Stan knew that Dipper was good at making good decisions so he had a good feeling things would work out, no matter what he chose.

\--------------------------------------------

For the past couple of days, ever since breakfast that morning, Bill had been acting different towards Dipper.

He didn’t touch him, or manhandle him like usual. He stayed at least one foot away when they talked. When they walked together their shoulders didn’t bump together like usual. Did he really take what Mabel said that seriously? Or did Dipper do something to offend him? No, that can’t be it, because they still had their normal conversations and bickered as usual, but he just seemed, well, distant. After closing, when Mabel went back to the pool house and the teens were sent home Dipper turned to Bill and asked, “What do you want to do tonight?”

Bill shrugged indifferently. “I don’t care,” he said before sitting on the sofa. Dipper chewed the inside of his cheek and looked out the window. There were still a good couple hours of daylight. “I think I’m going to go for a walk. Get some fresh air,” and he turned to leave but he heard the sound of feet shuffling behind him.

“Alone,” Dipper emphasized. “No can do, Pine Tree. I can’t have you getting hurt again, now can I?”

“The only reason you care about my well-being is because you need my help,” Dipper grumbled out and Bill simply replied, “You’re right.”

“I can take care of myself,” Dipper said through grit teeth. The words the demon spoke stung a little more than they should have. There had to be more to their relationship than just that, right? Bill went to put his hand on Dipper’s good shoulder but Dipper slapped it away and stormed out the front door.

After he got a fair distance away from the Shack, he turned to make sure he wasn’t being followed. Bill wasn’t following him but just stared at him from the porch. Dipper fucked up. Dipper definitely fucked that up. He shouldn’t have overreacted over literally _nothing_ but it’s too late now. He was committed to going on a walk now.

He treaded into the woods and walked around for about thirty minutes aimlessly before deciding to go check on the gnomes. He and Marty delivered their jam last Friday so he wanted to see how their celebration went.

Dipper chatted with Jeff and some of the other gnomes for a while. They actually tried coaxing more jam out of him since they knew he could get it easily, but it was getting dark so Dipper conveniently had an excuse to leave before he got pressured into it.

The sun was setting faster than he anticipated but luckily he knew this part of the woods like the back of his hand. He used the flashlight on his phone to find his way through the forest but when he was about ten minutes away from the edge, he heard a snap behind him.

Dipper immediately turned his light to the source of the noise. Nothing. Probably just an animal or a weak branch giving way. _Hopefully_. After the past couple of weeks Dipper has been having, he wasn’t about to leave things to chance. He turned and kept a quick pace.

There was another snap behind him. This time Dipper instinctively turned his head, forgoing the light. There stood a silhouette of a man in the trees. He was tall and lean. “H-hello?” Dipper said, trying his best to not sound freaked out by the sight of a guy stalking him in the woods. The man simply tilted his head in response. Dipper moved his light to the man to get a better look and he disappeared the second the light touched and the brunet immediately bolted away.

His heartbeat was in his ears when he reached the edge of the forest and sprinted towards the Shack. The door was thankfully unlocked (probably because Bill feels like nothing could threaten him) and Dipper slammed the door behind him, locked it and immediately turned on all the lights in the living room.

The lights would keep it away. What the hell was that thing?

\-------------------------------

Bill practically fell down the stairs when he heard Pine Tree slam the door open. He knew he pissed the kid off, but not by that much, which could only mean that something bad was happening.

Pine Tree was shaking and breathing heavily in the living room. “What happened?” Bill asked, taking two steps towards him. He wasn’t sure if he still needed to keep his distance or not.

“S-shadow person. In the forest,” Pine Tree said in between breathes. “I ran all the way here. Just give me a minute.” Bill felt the need to do something, but Pine Tree was being really fickle with him right now. He was having a hard time figuring out where he and Pine Tree stood.  

Bill decided that since Pine Tree was distressed at the moment, none of that mattered. He walked up to the kid and gently nudged him to sit down on the couch and Bill stood next to him, his hand lingering on the kid’s shoulder. Pine Tree leaned into the touch and Bill’s heart sped up while relief washed over him. Shooting Star said that if kisses aren’t returned, then the human has no interest in you.

Bill then figured that he and Pine Tree were in the same boat. They just ‘scratched each other’s backs’ as the kid stated previously. Bill would normally be completely fine with that kind of arrangement so he kept Pine Tree at arm’s length but the kid didn’t seem to like that. Bill wasn’t really fond of that either. He liked having the kid close but he was testing the waters with keeping a distance. He didn’t want to pull Pine Tree so close that he would freak out and leave Bill during this crucial time. And when the kid was sober, he seemed to hate Bill’s affection.

But despite the fact that the kid seemed even angrier when Bill kept his distance, when the blonde finally reached out to the kid he was slapped away and now he’s taking comfort in the demon? What the actual hell was Pine Tree’s defect? Were all humans this confusing or was it just Pine Tree? Well, it wouldn’t be any fun if he was that easy to figure out.

The kid finally caught his breath and looked up at Bill. “There was definitely someone in the woods and they disappeared when I flashed my light on them.”

Bill leaned in. “An actual person or a silhouette like last time?”

“A silhouette. But this time it was a man,” Pine Tree explained, while lying down on the couch.  Bill stood straight and crossed his arms, still standing next to Pine Tree. “I really need to work out again when I take this sling off,” the kid complained.

A thought clicked in Bill’s head. “Pine Tree, do you know _exactly_ what a Shadow Person is?”

“It’s kinda like a ghost but not really a ghost. They hang out where they can’t be seen but the moment they’re detected they disappear. Though these seem to only disappear in the light,” Pine Tree said.

“Exactly. Because they’re not from this realm, they’re from the Nightmare Realm. Hector must be targeting you since you didn’t respond to his proposal. Either that or he’s trying to smoke me out again. Using you as bait a second time won’t work, you know,” Bill said trying to come up with a solution. Actually, the simplest solution would be to invite him over to have a cup of tea but he would have to wait until Hector felt like being civil.

“Maybe once my shoulder is healed, I should respond. I could trick him into-“ Bill practically jumped on top of Pine Tree to cover his mouth. If Hector’s little minions caught wind of the plan, it would be impossible to execute.

 Pine Tree looked at Bill like he was crazy (well, duh) and the demon just leaned in to whisper into the kid’s ear. “Don’t mention Hector for a while. Be sure to tell Shooting Star the same thing.” When Bill lifted his head, Pine Tree gave him a look of understanding and nodded.

Bill removed his hand and Pine Tree sighed out, “But did you have to jump on top of me to tell me that?” Bill smirked down at him, “Probably not, but you know I’m not one for subtlety.” Pine Tree chuckled and Bill looked at the kid’s mouth. He wondered if he gave the kiss thing another chance if Pine Tree would return it this time. But he couldn’t afford to offend his last remaining ally in this petty struggle. If Bill didn’t _care_ \- Wait. Care? Did he care about Pine Tree? No, he _needed_ Pine Tree. There’s a difference. _Right_?

 But despite his inner mechanisms protesting, this body produced some sort of longing that couldn’t be ignored for much longer. He needed to know what the kid thought.

Bill stared into Pine Tree’s eyes and leaned closer as he said, “Look, kid. I know we’ve been dancing around this subject, but I-“ the lights went out in the Shack before Bill could finish his sentence. Bill was on his feet as three Shadow People surrounded them. Bill used his blue flames to ward them off and dragged Pine Tree off the couch.

“We need to get the fuse box,” Pine Tree said and Bill nodded, keeping his concentration on the flames dancing around them. As long as he had them up, they were safe.  Pine Tree would be safe. The kid was the obvious target because Hector wouldn’t send something as weak as Shadow People after Bill.

Pine Tree led them to the office and opened a metal box. He flipped a few switches and the power was back on. “Luckily the just flipped the breakers. I’ll leave the light on in here so they can’t get to the fuse box again,” Pine Tree said while flipping the light switch.

“Good idea. These creatures aren’t really harmful, but they’re damn annoying,” Bill mumbled out.

“Anyway, you were saying something earlier?” Pine Tree said.

“It’s nothing, kid. How’s your shoulder?” he asked to change the subject. He wasn’t sure why, but the change in atmosphere made him lose his nerve on the subject. “I’m fine, but I still wanted to know what you were going to say.” Bill shook his head and grabbed Pine Tree’s hand that was attached to his good arm. He led him out of the office and up the stairs, flipping light switches on as he moved from room to room. Thankfully the kid didn’t protest and meekly followed him to their shared room in the attic.

“We’ll sleep with the lights on tonight. I’ll do something about the Shadow People tomorrow,” Bill promised.

“Were you going to kiss me again, you know, earlier?” the kid asked in a quiet voice.

Pine Tree’s question made Bill freeze.

“Of course not,” Bill lied, facing away from Pine Tree. He didn’t want to see what kind of look the kid had in his eyes.

“I’m sorry for earlier. I shouldn’t have stormed off like that over nothing.”

That line definitely had Bill’s attention. He turned to see the kid who was looking downwards at the floor. “I won’t avoid you again,” Bill responded and Pine Tree gave him a smile before moving to get ready to go to sleep.

Pine Tree turned back towards Bill and placed a hand on his shoulder. He leaned in like he was going to whisper something in his ear, but instead he felt the softness of his lips brush against his cheek. The kid retreated quickly as he was there. “I-I’m going to get some water real quick,” he announced a little too loudly and practically ran out the bedroom door.

Bill stood there, his completely out of control human heart thumping too loudly. He clutched his chest.

This kid was going to kill him.

\------------------------------------------

The rest of this week went by peacefully. Bill imbued some of his magic into the Shack and pool house to ward of the Shadow People, but they still didn’t talk about Hector. Dipper’s shoulder and arm was feeling significantly better so he didn’t have to wear his elbow brace anymore, but kept his sling on for good measure. His follow up doctor’s appointment the day before basically gave him the all clear to take it off by Wednesday unless it starts to hurt again.

Dipper had also had his dinner set up with Pacifica’s family for next weekend and since his sling should be off by then and it gave him ample time to get a new shirt to go with his suit.

Dipper was alone at the Shack this evening. Mabel had some work to do at the pool house and Stan wanted to take the boat out on the lake, so Bill went to help him get the boat set up and was suckered into spending the day with Grunkle Stan, leaving Dipper with the Mystery Tours. Bill sent him silly Snapchats about being bored and pretending to fall overboard. Dipper responded to his chats with a goofy face before decided to close up shop a little early. They were going to be closed tomorrow anyway.

Dipper was also a pretty happy over his unspoken bond with Bill. Bill stopped avoiding him and Dipper made small advances, like when they went grocery shopping he grabbed the blonde’s hand, but of course Bill made it weird by refusing to let go and even started dragging Dipper along wherever he pleased. Not to mention, after the night of the shadow assault, every night before getting ready for bed, Bill would pout and point at his cheek waiting for Dipper to kiss it and to Dipper’s surprise, Bill made no real advances back. He was probably waiting, like it was some game now and if Dipper caved first, Bill wins. Not that Dipper cared about winning, but he was still taking his sweet time to work up the nerve to do more.

After sending the teens home Dipper walked upstairs to grab one of the mystery books he bought the other day. Dipper was really looking forward to getting wrapped up in another world and headed down the stairs, figuring some hot chocolate and settling into the comfy living room chair would make this surprise alone time perfect.

The sun was starting to set and Bill texted Dipper saying that he was stopping somewhere to get them some food on the way home and Dipper felt relieved that he didn’t have to cook tonight. Naturally the minute he sat down, loud banging on the gift shop door caught his attention. He groaned thinking it was a customer that was unable to read the closed sign when he heard Clara’s voice.

“Dipper! Open up!”

Dipper rushed to the door and unlocked it. “Is everything okay? What’s wrong?” he asked as he swung the door open.

“I-it’s Marty. There w-were these weird shadows in the woods a-and,” the poor girl was starting to hyperventilate and Dipper pulled her inside. “Breathe Clara. This building is charmed so those shadows can’t get in here.” The girl nodded vigorously and started breathing in her nose and out her mouth.

“I need you to tell me where Marty is,” Dipper said, calmly. He breathed with her to help keep her in pace. She shakily pointed a finger to the woods, “He’s out there. Please help him,” she pleaded.

“Of course. Go call Mabel and tell her to get over here right away. I’ll take care of Marty, don’t you worry,” Dipper said, giving the teen (what he hoped was) a reassuring smile. There was still some light out, so if Dipper could work fast, he could get Marty to the safety of the Shack.

When he saw Clara breathing at a normal pace again and was able to lift her phone to call Mabel, Dipper quickly took to the woods. He called out Marty’s name over and over again, but there was no response. It was getting darker out and Dipper felt his pocket for his cell phone.

Shit.

He left it at the Shack. He set it on the kitchen counter after reading Bill’s text.

Dipper could feel the Shadow People around him and they became more and more visible as the sun went down. Dipper stumbled around in the dark until he was surrounded. They were weak when they were alone, but the sheer number of them has become alarming.

That’s when his entire world turned upside down and then went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like Shadow People might sound a bit boring, but some of my best spoopy stories revolve around Shadow People so when I think Halloween, I think of ghosts and shadows lurking around so I felt the need to dedicate at least one chapter to them. ^-^ Also, one more thing, I just want to say that you guys leaving comments and kudos mean the world to me. It might seem like a small thing, but it really means a lot to me and I love hearing from you guys even if I don't always respond. <3


	27. One Call Away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for gore, death, and angsty stuff in general.

When Bill arrived at the Shack, the first thing he walked in on was Shooting Star sitting with the two teens in the living room. “Well, well, well, if I knew you three were going to be here, I _still_ wouldn’t have brought you any food. There’s only enough for me and Pine Tree,” Bill snickered, waving the two subs in the air and Shooting Star looked up at him with wide eyes.

“You mean he’s not with you?” she asked, a tinge of panic coating her voice.

Bill immediately snapped his personality from mocking to anger. A calm anger, but there was an underlying fury nonetheless _. Oh, if that kid went and did something stupid._ “No, Shooting Star. Why would he be with me?” he tilted his head and smiled sickly sweet to hide the boiling anger he was feeling.

“I-it’s my fault,” Marty said, shaking his head. “He’s lost in the woods because of me.”

“It is not your fault Marty. Those shadow thingies were creepy. Anyone would get disoriented by them,” Clara defended.

“Someone _tell_ me exactly what happened,” Bill spoke through his teeth but kept his smile intact.

“From what I gathered, Marty got caught by those Shadow People you were telling us about and Dipper went in after him. Clara told me that pretty much as soon as Dipper went into the woods, Marty came out but Dipper hasn’t returned,” Shooting Star clarified.

Bill immediately turned on his heel. “Don’t leave the Shack tonight,” he said before heading out the door. He closed his eyes when he reached the edge of the woods and took a deep breath before opening them to begin his search. He used his blue flames for light and used basic human tracking skills such as looking for a trail of broken branches and footprints which wasn’t that hard to do since Pine Tree was probably in a panic. After about ten minutes of walking, Bill found the spot where the trail became cold, as if he disappeared into thin air right here.

Bill stepped forward and heard something squish under his shoe. He looked to the ground and saw red piece of paper. He took a step backwards and bent down to pick it up, eyes widening in realization on why it was red.

It was coated in blood. He flipped it over, the flames flickering, creating an unstable light source over the elegant writing.

_I’ve dragged your precious human back to his place of residence. Please come if it is convenient. If not, I’m sure I can find ways to pass the minutes until you find the time._

Bill shook with rage momentarily but took a deep breath to calm his body. He was going to have to play it cool to get Pine Tree back in one piece. If he was still in one piece that is. Oh, if he hurt one hair on Pine Tree’s head Bill would take pleasure in binding Hector to that mortal body permanently and torturing him slowly, painfully, and without remorse.

Bill shook his head, pulling himself out of the romanticism of the art of slow torture and teleported outside of the pool house. 

With a snap of his fingers, his fishing clothes changed into his black and yellow suit, paired off with his signature bowtie and top hat with a certain vial of Gorgon’s tear in his pocket. There was one more thing missing to pull this whole thing together and Bill knew exactly what he needed.

No matter what, tonight would be the night that Hector would cease being a thorn in Bill’s side.

\--------------------------------------------

Mabel took her time to calm the teens but she screamed internally the entire time. She wanted to be there for her brother, she wanted to help him. But there were Shadow People out there and two teenagers that needed her to assure them that everything would be fine.

She called their parents to alert them of what was going on. Since their parents lived in Gravity Falls during Weirdmageddon, they had complete faith in Mabel and trusted her word when she said that they couldn’t come home tonight. She sat back and wondered exactly how long it would be before Bill came back. It was already getting late and she knew the demon could just teleport back instantly if he needed to.

She poured some hot tea for Marty and Clara. Tea was something comforting and it was an unnaturally chilly night so it offered some warmth. The two teens were chatting with each other, both of them seeming to feel a little better about the situation so Mabel excused herself back into the living room.

She pulled out her phone and dialed Grunkle Stan, but it went straight to voicemail. She took a deep breath and punched the number of someone she didn’t think she didn’t want to have to dial for a long time.

“Grunkle Ford?”

“Mabel? What’s wrong? Are you okay?” he immediately asked. At least he had enough sense to know that the only reason she called him was because something was wrong and not to shoot the breeze. “Dipper is missing. He ran into the woods and we’ve been attacked by Shadow People,” Mabel said.

“What!? How long has this been going on?” he asked, a familiar sternness coating his voice. “Almost a week,” she said. “They’ve been stalking us at night and Bill managed to keep them at bay, but now I’m worried that Dipper has been kidnapped by them,” Mabel said, trying to remain calm.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?!” he roared. “I could have done something to get rid of them permanently! I know you guys are mad at me and I accept that because I know you have every right to be, but if you needed help you should have come to me.” Mabel flinched at how serious he was.

“S-sorry, Grunkle Ford. I thought we had it under control. I just-“ Mabel started and choked a little on her words and she heard a heavy sigh on the other side. “Okay, listen. Are you safe where you are?”

Mabel nodded and then remembered that her Grunkle couldn’t physically see her and mumbled a quiet, “Mhm.”

“Good, stay there. I’ll take care of finding Dipper and Bill,” he assured. “You’re not going to do anything to Bill, right?” she asked, thinking about her brother’s feelings for the demon. Dipper deserved to be happy, even it was a little bit twisted.

“No, I won’t do anything to Bill,” Ford promised. Mabel hoped that calling him wasn’t a mistake telling Ford. She couldn’t bring herself to fully trust him, but she couldn’t get a hold of Stan and he was the only other person she knew that had experience with these kinds of things.

She walked back into the kitchen with the two teens that seemed to have calmed down. She poured herself a cup of tea and sat with them, hoping that Bill would find Dipper and fast.

\------------------------------

Bill looked over Pine Tree and Pine Tree looked back at him, looking a little disoriented. “I thought you said he was in one piece?” he growled out, noting the blood on the kid’s shirt. “I said ‘one piece’, I never said ‘unharmed’,” Hector smirked. Pine Tree looked a confused. Could Bill trust the kid with the task ahead? 

“Pine Tree?” Bill said, waving his hand in front his face to snap the kid out of his daze. Pine Tree’s head turned toward the noise, “Bill? H-how did you find me?”

“I left him an invitation, of course,” Hector sneered and Bill held up the bouquet of assorted flowers out to the kid, “And being the gentleman that I am, I couldn’t come pick you up without flowers,” Bill said with a large smile and a wink. In the base, where the flowers were wrapped, Bill had hidden the vial that contained their secret weapon in the flowers. Pine Tree hesitantly accepted the flowers. “Um, okay?” _C’mon kid, keep up._

He duped Hector by telling him that he wanted to accept his deal and stay banished from the Mindscape after he regains his original form. If Bill agrees to that, Hector would inherit his powers and Bill would be stuck in limbo with nothing to do but watch time go by.

Hector rolled his eyes as he stepped between him and Pine Tree. Bill bit back a growl. He had to be calm. “So, we have a deal?” Hector asked, reaching his hand out but Bill slapped it away. “I’m the one who invented this concept so don’t mistake me for a fool. We’re going to talk over some particulars first,” Bill snarled and Hector frowned. “Fine, we’ll talk,” Hector said as he was readying to snap his fingers to have Pine Tree dragged away by the shadows again but Bill spoke quickly to stop him, “How about you have the kid make us some tea? He’s not going anywhere and neither am I. It would definitely bring comfort to your human body, it is cold tonight after all.” Bill shivered a little for effect.

Hector looked like he was about to snap at him but then he surprised Bill by saying, “Sure.” He then instructed Pine Tree, “Go make us tea,” before sitting down on the couch. Bill casually strode to the armchair and sat down as Pine Tree shook the confused look off his face and went into the kitchen, clutching his flowers, without saying a word. The kid was acting strange and that confused the hell out of Bill. The demon trusted that kid though. He’s always come through for him.

Bill turned his attention back to Hector. “First things first, I want a one hundred percent guarantee that you will not attempt to kill, maim, or murder me _OR_ send someone else to do any of those things during the rest of my human life,” Bill stated his first demand.

Hector quickly said, “Done. But I want guarantee that you won’t try to weasel your way out of this deal or round up a posse before your time is up.”

Bill feigned hesitance to show he was seriously considering this deal. He didn’t want Hector to have any reason to be suspicious. “Fine,” through grit teeth and didn’t look up at first to see Pine Tree when he set a tray with two piping hot cups of tea placed in a way that made it obvious for Bill to know which one belonged to him. He gave Pine Tree a slight smile and Pine Tree just looked, well, tired. The kid looked like he had been up for days even though Bill knew for a fact that he slept soundly last night.

Bill and Hector simultaneously picked up their cups. They gazed at each other momentarily before taking a sip. Bill watched from under his eyelashes as Hector took a sip from his cup. His mouth curled into a devious smile as he set his cup down on the counter. “Well Hector, it’s been a pleasure doing- wait. What’s happening?” Bill’s heartrate picked up as he suddenly felt heavy. He couldn’t move his toes anymore.

“Pine Tree?” he looked up at the kid and he smiled darkly down at Bill. That’s when he noticed his eyes were green.

“You didn’t think that you actually rid him of all of my influence, did you Cipher?”

Bill had been poisoned with the Gorgon’s tear.

\--------------------------------------

There was a bang and Dipper was brought back to reality.

The scene in front of him was not what he expected. Ford was holding a gun and had it aimed toward Hector. Hector was clutching his side that was dripping with blood, growling at Ford. Bill was standing, but looked like he was having a hard time moving. What the hell happened?

“Are you sure you want to do this? We had a deal, remember?” Hector said, looking as if he was ready to kill Ford. His eyes flashed a dangerous red.  “Oh, I’m sure. You’ve interfered long enough, demon. Dipper, if you’re in there, recite the exorcism I had in my journal, backwards!”

_If I’m in here? What the hell does that mean? Was I possessed?_ Either way, Dipper didn’t waste time. He took a deep breath and visualized the words he had seen so many times before. He started saying the sentences backwards and Hector screamed, trying to break his concentration. “You fool! Don’t you know that you’re worthless without me!? I’ve carried you this far and now you’re betraying me?” Hector yelled at Ford who tackled the demon in response. .

“Shut up!” Ford yelled and Hector pushed him off, slamming older man up against the wall. Dipper tried to hurry the sentences along. If he moved to help his Grunkle it would break his concentration and this all would be for nothing! He wasn’t sure what the hell kind of shitstorm he woke up to, but he was ready for it to be over. Bill just stood there with an annoyed look plastered on his face. Why wasn’t he helping Ford? Dipper knew the demon was mad at his Grunkle, but he thought that Bill would have enough sense to fight against the common enemy.

Dipper finished his chant and suddenly felt exhausted. He stumbled backwards, but caught himself before falling. Ford pulled out a dagger and looked like he was about to stab Hector. _What?! Has everyone gone crazy?_

Ford was knocked to the side and the dagger was sent flying underneath the coffee table. “Dipper! He’s trapped in that body now! Even if the body dies, he’s trapped until it completely decomposes,” Ford yelled.

It took a few moments, but Dipper understood what Ford meant now. The body can die and become useless to the demon and he’ll be trapped in it.

Dipper swallowed as his Grunkle threw a punch at the demon and Hector clawed Ford’s face. Dipper quickly but quietly inched towards the knife.

But Hector shot a green fireball at him.

Dipper jumped out of the way as the fire burned a hole into the rug of his living room before fizzling out. Hector grabbed Ford by the collar and slammed him down onto the coffee table repeatedly until it broke and he was unconscious.

Dipper was shaken up for a moment but calmed himself down before tackling Hector to the floor, despite the pain in his side. Dipper straddled him and punched him two good times before the demon flipped the position. Hector had his hands on Dipper’s throat and Dipper used his hands to feel around for something, anything to help him. A smooth, solid object slid underneath his fingers.

Dipper wrapped his hand around it and immediately knew what it was and what he had to do, as he choked for air that Hector wasn’t allowing him to have. It was him or Hector and Dipper chose himself. He lifted the knife and stabbed Hector in the chest.  Blood poured out of the wound and covered Dipper. Hector flinched allowing some air but tried to keep his hold on the brunet. Dipper twisted the knife, trying to dig it deeper and Hector eventually started going limp until he completely collapsed onto him. Dipper kept his eyes closed throughout the whole process. He just murdered someone. Well, according to Bill, the original owner of the body was long gone anyway so he filed it under destroying a monster for his sanity’s sake.   

Dipper allowed himself to breath for a minute before pushing Hector of him. His senses were dulled after the adrenaline began draining from his life or death battle he had. His breathing finally slowed as he replayed the scene in his head. Bill must have used his magic to slide the dagger over to him.

_Bill_.

_Bill_!  

He got up as quickly as he could and rushed over to Bill who was stone all the way up to his stomach now. The process was moving so fast and Dipper yelled, “What the hell happened?”

Bill looked like he bit back some words he would have regretted. “Hector happened, kid.” Bill looked at Dipper with wide eyes. This was the first time Dipper had ever seen any trace of fear in the demon’s eyes. It scared him more the Bill’s anger.

“No, no, NO!” Dipper screamed and Bill went from scared to shocked, like he didn’t expect Dipper’s reaction at all. He tilted Dipper’s head up and stared into his eyes. “You should be relieved. Everything goes back to normal for you after this,” Bill said, an unreadable emotion glazed over his eyes. This demon. This demon didn’t understand that _normal_ wasn’t what he wanted.

The stone inched up further to Bill’s chest now. “Bill, I-I don’t want you to disappear. I don’t want you to die,” Dipper said, on the verge of tears. His chest felt heavy. He started shaking. The thought of Bill disappearing without knowing how he- _Stop thinking and just show him. Tell him!_

Dipper’s lips were on Bill’s. His fingers found their way into the choppy blonde locks while they still could and Bill’s hands found their way to Dipper’s cheeks as he returned the kiss.

Dipper pulled away and kept his eyes closed, afraid to see the look on Bill’s face. He had to say it before it was too late. “I _like_ you, you idiot! Don’t you dare think I’ll be happy because you’re gone!”

Bill’s hands pulled Dipper in for another kiss and he was pushed back before the stone reached Bill’s arms. Dipper finally opened his eyes and they stared at each other silently for a moment. “It was me. I did this, didn’t I?” Dipper asked, already knowing the answer. It’s the only possible way for Bill to become cursed like this. Bill just nodded. “Be sure to talk to Shooting Star after I’m gone,” Bill said. -

“Don’t go,” he said, voice cracking. Bill didn’t say anything. He just smirked in response as his face froze over. Bill squandered his last words to look cool and Dipper almost chuckled at the thought. Almost. It would have made him laugh except for the fact that the demon didn’t say he like him back, though the kiss they shared said enough.

There was movement on the other side of the room. _Ford_.

Dipper used his sleeve to wipe his tears that were pricking his eyes away and rushed to his great uncle’s side. “Grunkle Ford, how hurt are you?”

“Not as bad as I look. I don’t think I’ll need a hospital,” Ford said, sitting up and adjusting his glasses. The blood trickling down his head said otherwise. “I think I should take you to the hospital anyway. You’ve been through a lot for someone of your age,” Dipper said, worriedly. He needed to do something. Anything. Anything at all to forget this crushing weight in his chest.

“No, no. I’ll go get Stanley and we’ll take care of the body. You’ve,” Ford paused, looking over Dipper and then scanning the room. “You’ve been through a lot. I want you to rest and not drive anywhere for the rest of the night, understood?” Dipper nodded slowly, taking his Grunkle’s words in. It made sense. He definitely wasn’t in a condition to drive, though the thought of running to Mabel was awfully tempting. Why did Bill say he should speak with her? Either way, she had the teens with her tonight so he would wait until morning.

The next couple of hours ticked by slowly. Dipper felt like he was underwater. It was hard to breathe and hard to hear everything going on around him. Stan came over and made a fuss, but took one look at Dipper and Bill and quieted down. He and Ford wrapped Hector’s body in carpeting and threw it in the back of their truck. They were going to go bury him somewhere in the forest where no one would find him. Ford suggested waiting until he could purchase copious amounts of salt to mummify him so he would decompose slower, but in the end everyone was ready for this to be over.

After the two of them left, Dipper was tasked with cleaning the mess, and clean he did. He stayed up until sunrise cleaning and the entire house smelled of vinegar and club soda because for some reason they didn’t have bleach available. On the plus side, everything stayed the same color instead of fading.

The last thing Dipper had to clean was himself. He glanced at the new Bill statue and thought about the irony of this. He became human to avoid being a statue and now he’s sealed in the fate he tried to escape from.

Dipper went upstairs to shower, still holding onto that surreal feeling around him. He didn’t want this to feel real. Not yet.

\---------------------------------------------

Ford and had called and told Mabel everything first thing in the morning. He told her about the new Bill statue, how Dipper refuses to let them remove it, and lastly, about Hector’s demise. Mabel felt a weight lift of her shoulders at the news of Hector being gone, but she knew her brother liked Bill and could only imagine how he’s feeling now. Mabel was a little sad too, Bill had potential to be a good person. Heck, he was being a good person to them which surprised the heck out of Mabel but it was probably because

Mabel kicked Marty and Clara out first thing in the morning and rushed to the pool house. The house smelled really weird when she walked in, but that only distracted her for a minute. She gasped when she saw the Bill statue. He was smirking with his arms crossed. Of course.

She heard her bother come downstairs and the first thing she noticed were the huge bags under his eyes and how red rimmed they were. “Oh, Dipper. Come here,” she said, rushing over to him to give him a hug. She pulled him close and he returned the hug a little too tightly, but she didn’t complain.

“Mabel. I-“ he choked out, holding back a sob.

“Dipper you don’t have to say anything,” Mabel said, knowing the sense of loss he must be feeling. Dipper has lost _so_ much. He lost his free will. The most important years of his life. His trust in his family. And now he’s lost Bill, the one person that was able to help him see the truth. Mabel was surprised and proud that he hasn’t fully broken down yet.

She pulled him at arm’s length and gave him a small smile. He tried to return it, but it was weak. “You know, I squandered my last few moments with him. I- I kissed him. I should have asked him how to reverse this or if it was even reversible.”

“Hey, you know who might know how to reverse this? Despoina!” Mabel beamed, excitedly. “W-who?”

“The gorgon I got the tear from, she might know how to undo this! We should go visit her! I kinda know the way, it shouldn’t take more than a day to find her,” Mabel continued and Dipper didn’t waste time. “I’ll pack a bag, let’s do this.”

“Shouldn’t you get some rest first? You look exhausted,” Mabel pointed out, fruitlessly. Dipper ignored her as he grabbed his backpack from a hanging hook in the living room and went into the kitchen to fill it with bottled waters and snacks.

Mabel followed him into the kitchen, “Seriously Dipper, you should take a nap. I mean, there’s no guarantee that-“

“Mabel, I don’t think I can rest until I know I’ve done all I could, okay?” Dipper said with finality and Mabel reluctantly complied. Her brother must be hurting pretty bad to be this serious. If he wasn’t going to rest, then neither was she. She would stay by his side and help him for as long as he needed her.

 

Seven hours of searching, bickering, and walking around in circles finally paid off. Mabel found the familiar cave and practically bounced towards it while Dipper trailed behind her marked their location on a map for future reference.

“Despoina! Are you here?” Mabel called out in a singsong voice as she stepped through the water, wearing the appropriate boots this time.

“Mabel? Is that you?” she heard a voice call from deeper in the cavern. “It is, and I brought my brother with me, if that’s fine?” she called out as she grabbed Dipper’s arm to lead him further in the cave. They were finally in the light of the familiar homey cavern that distinctly belonged to Despoina.

“Mabel, it’s so good to see you!” the gorgon exclaimed as she stood up from her seat. “And you must be Dipper! Mabel told me so much about you.”

“Y-yeah,” Dipper said awkwardly. “Nice to meet you.” Mabel smiled, glad that her brother didn’t lose his manners to grief at least.

“Come in, come in! Have a seat. Do tell me dear, did you rid yourself of that insipid demon?” Despoina said and Mabel felt Dipper tense up so she quickly responded, “Yes, Hector is gone but, um, not in the way we planned.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. Our friend was conned into drinking your tear and my Grunkle Ford and Dipper took Hector down in a different way. But now our friend is-“

“He’s stone now. Please, please tell me there is a way to lift the curse,” Dipper pleaded quietly.

Despoina looked over them. Different emotions flitting through her eyes. “I… can help. But you will have to wait about a week,” she said and Dipper yelled, “What? A whole week! That-“

“That’s kind of you,” Mabel finished after elbowing Dipper in the side to make him shut up. “I’m so sorry for inconveniencing you,” she apologized for good measure.

Despoina nodded, “It’s quite alright dear. You’re very kind and don’t judge me for my, well let’s just say for my nature. I don’t mind helping those that treat me kindly.”

Dipper nodded, “Yes, thank you. Sorry for being impatient. It’s just,” he trailed off and Despoina smiled. “I understand. You must care for this person a lot.”

“I do, I really do,” Dipper agreed.

“I’ll bring what you need by the end of this week. Be patient and rest easy knowing that you have the ability to get your friend back,” she smiled, looking wise and Dipper nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

\--------------------------------------------------

Day One.

Dipper slept for a good twenty-six hours. Physical and emotional exhaustion can do that to you.

Day Two.

Dipper tried to move the statue so he wouldn’t have to see Bill every time he wandered into the living room but it was too heavy. He didn’t want to stay at the Shack either. He felt anxious, like someone might steal him or something if he was gone for more than a few hours.

Day Three.

Dipper and Mabel return to work at the Shack. Dipper was distracted the entire time but was able to confidently assure Marty and Clara that the shadow people were gone and that he was fine, despite the bruising on his neck and the cut on his side.

Day Four.

Dipper was getting more and more nervous as the days passed. He started running into things, spilling his coffee, and tripping over nothing. Mabel eventually sent him back to the pool house so he could rest but he spent it anxiously staring at Bill. On the bright side, he was finally able to go without his sling and could move his arm freely again.

Day Five.

The day of all days. Despoina showed up at the Shack early looking weak and holding a jar of blood but she wore a pretty smug smile that Dipper took as a good sign. “Are you ready?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay! Sorry if this chapter felt a bit rushed, but I have two things to say about it. One: I plan on making this fanfic and three part series! Just because Hector is gone does not mean we are coming to a close, no sirree! And two: I'll be honest, I'm not that great with action scenes so I *may* have tried to overcompensate with everything else and I apologize if it felt that way. Either way, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and look forward to more adventures!


	28. Simple and Clean

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smut ahoy in the last half of this chapter.

“Ready for what, exactly?” Dipper asked eager to get started, but Mabel seemed to materialize out of nowhere and stuck her head under his arm nosily. “Despoina! Are you okay? You look tired,” she said worriedly and Dipper was immediately filled with guilt. He was so eager to get Bill back that he barely noticed how weak she looked.

“Come in, please,” Dipper insisted, stepped to the side extending his arm to offer help. Despoina took it and Dipper felt relieved that she seemed to be in good spirits at least. “I’m glad you two are so comfortable with me. Neither of you are scrambling to put on sunglasses. And if I recall you didn’t wear them last time either,” she said as Dipper led her to the living room.

Mabel bounced beside them and said, “Of course not! We’re gal pals so I figured you’d warn me if you could accidentally turn us to stone.” Despoina nodded as Dipper led her to the couch to sit down, the twins sitting on either side of her.

“So I guess it’s time to address the elephant in the room,” Mabel announced, before pulling a stuffed elephant from under the couch and staring at it. “I’m sorry I left you under the couch for so long, Herbert,” she said before tossing the stuffed toy behind her and looking at Despoina. “Anyway, what’s that your holding?” she asked, pointing to the jar.

Dipper suppressed an eye roll at his sister’s nonsense and waited for the gorgon to answer her. “This is my blood, dear. It’s the key to getting your friend out of the stone prison.”

“Oh, so this is why we had to wait, so you wouldn’t die from blood loss,” Dipper stated more than questioned and Despoina gave a nod in response. She looked weak. If Dipper knew that she was putting herself at this kind of risk, he would have told her to take more time. He was desperate to get Bill back, but not at the expense of someone else.

“The ritual itself is fairly simple, but the blood is the toughest ingredient to get. Most men are impatient and will _attempt_ to tear down a gorgon immediately to bring back their kings or loved ones,” Despoina said, her eyes flashing green at the word “attempt”.

“Thank you for doing this,” was all Dipper could say as he took the jar of blood that was offered to him. “Now, shall we go?” Despoina said, raising herself out of the chair, only to be pulled back down by Mabel. “You look tired. You should stay here tonight and rest. Dipper can wait until tomorrow for the ritual, right?” Mabel said sparing a pointed look that Dipper didn’t miss. He looked away and awkwardly scratched at the back of his head. “Y-yeah,” he said in the most unconvincing way.

“If you’ll be kind enough to allow me to rest here for the night, I can write down the instructions for you,” Despoina offered, sensing his impatience, and Dipper’s heart started racing. He could get Bill back? Tonight?

“Yes, please!” Dipper said, scrambling over to his backpack to dig out his notebook and a pen. He passed them over to Despoina and she jotted down a glyph, a phrase, and some instructions. She showed it to him and smiled, “See? Easy-peasy.”

“Thanks a bunch Despoina. How about I make you something to eat?” Mabel offered as Dipper took the notebook and looked it over. He could hardly keep himself from shaking.

“Yes, that sounds lovely, Mabel,” Despoina smiled and Mabel hopped up and skipped off into the kitchen.

Despoina turned back to Dipper. “Now, you’re going to want to draw this glyph on the biggest surface area. Try to make it as big as you possibly can. I recommend using a paintbrush if you have one for smoother lines,” Despoina said, pointing between the notes and the jar of blood. _Yeesh, I wonder how Bill will react waking up covered in blood. He’d probably get a kick out of it, honestly._

Dipper listened to her instructions and read them over again to make sure he understood them completely before heading out. He called out to his sister to tell her he was leaving.

The drive to the pool house was unbearably long. Dipper used all the self-control he had to stop himself from speeding all the way there.

When he finally arrived, the world around him felt a little bit surreal. The first thing he did was set the notebook and jar down on one of the end tables (since the coffee table was nonexistent now) and went into Mabel’s room. After a little digging, he found one of her paintbrushes. “Sorry, Mabes. I’ll buy you a new one later,” he muttered out loud as he head back into the living room and looked at the Bill statue.

He looked smug, even in statue form. Dipper picked up the jar of blood and walked around to Bill’s back. This seemed to the flattest, biggest surface on him so he held up the notebook as he painted the glyph in the gorgon’s blood. After that, he took a few steps back and looked over the instructions again. All he had to do was read the Latin phrase she wrote out for him now, but the instructions warned of the victim being extremely disoriented and hostile upon awaking, though Dipper didn’t think he’d have to worry about that since Bill wasn’t exactly human.

Dipper took a deep breath to keep himself steady and began reading the words that were written out for him.

The statue cracked and light beamed through it. Another crack and another beam of light. Dipper’s heart was about to beat out of his chest, but he kept reading until the entire statue was engulfed in light.

Dipper covered his eyes with his arm to keep from being blinded as he finished the incantation. When he lowered his arm, a lump had formed in his throat when he saw Bill fall to his knees. The demon stared up at the ceiling momentarily before saying, “Man, talk about having a _rocky_ start.” He blinked a few times before looking over at Dipper. “Heya, Pine Tree. Miss me?” Dipper tried to swallow the lump in his throat to say something as Bill rose back to his feet and took two more steps towards Dipper. “Admit it, you missed me,” he teased and Dipper couldn’t help but to laugh and nodded as he did.

“Well, I wouldn’t have brought you back if I didn’t, asshole,” Dipper finally said and then it was Bill’s turn to laugh. “Yeah, I can’t believe you actually said you like me,” he snarked in a way that Dipper at first construed as negative and made his chest constrict momentarily. But before the brunet could say something in response Bill requested, “Say it again,” as he took a step towards Dipper.

Dipper looked up at the demon who was wearing a serious expression on his face. He took a deep breath.

“I like you.”

\----------------------------------------------------

“I like you.”

Those words made Bill’s heart leap and he grasped Pine Tree by the shoulders and slammed his mouth onto his for a kiss a little too eagerly. Their teeth clacked together and Pine Tree mumbled out an “Ow,” but Bill kept his lips on him for a few more moments.

“Again,” the demon growled.

“W-what?” Pine Tree stuttered out, clearly confused.

“Say. It. Again,” Bill enunciated.

Pine Tree’s face was red but he complied. “I like you.”

Bill drowned him in another kiss. He wrapped his arms around Pine Tree’s waist and the brunet’s hands found their way around Bill’s shoulders, hands gliding through the hair on the back of his head. Bill hummed contently and whispered, “Again,” against Pine Tree’s lips.

“I like you,” Pine Tree said, sounding breathless.

Bill smirked against him and trailed kisses down Pine Tree’s jawline to his neck. Pine Tree gasped and tightened his grip on Bill’s hair when the demon bit the side of his neck and pulled at the hem of the brunet’s shirt.

“B-bill, wait. You’re covered in blood. You’re dripping,” Pine Tree said, seeming to regain some coherent thought. Bill pulled back and licked his thumb and then wiped his thumb on Pine Tree’s shirt, leaving a small wet mark. “Then how about we go get out of these wet clothes,” Bill said with a wink and Pine Tree gave him a confused look  for a moment and then rolled his eyes when he realized what Bill was saying, “Oh my god, you are so lame.” 

“Hey, you’re the one that likes me,” Bill teased, his human heart feeling surprisingly light. Pine Tree’s confession took that weird feeling he was having and turned it into something that gave his body some kind of natural high and he wanted to continue exploring it.

“Yeah, well, shut up,” the kid said before smiling. That smile made Bill’s heart do a backflip. It was just so… happy. Even the worry lines that usually were prominent under his eyes were gone momentarily. A long time ago, Bill would have taken pleasure knocking that kind of smile off his face but now it felt right. Everything felt right.

The sound of a door opening made Pine Tree jump backwards. “G-grunkle Stan!” Leave it to Fez to ruin a great moment.

“Dipper, I saw a light- Bill?” Fez had a relieved look on his face.  “Kid, you shoulda told me that you were bringing Bill back,” he then stated angrily, which everyone in the room knew that just meant his feelings were hurt.

“Sorry, Grunkle Stan. I just, uh,” Pine Tree stuttered as he tried to come up with an excuse but he knew there wasn’t one.

“Listen, I know you get wrapped up in your own head sometimes, but don’t forget that there are other people with concerns. Ford and I spent this past week researching how to undo this,” Fez muttered out the last half of that sentence.

“Aw, so you and Fordsy really do care,” Bill stated in such a jovial tone of voice that if you didn’t perceive it as sarcasm, then you were stupid. “But listen, Pine Tree and I were in the middle of something,” Bill said, snaking an arm around the kid’s shoulder but Pine Tree removed his arm and said, “Yes, I was in the middle of telling you to go take a bath,” the kid deadpanned and Bill lifted his hands in defeat. “Fine, fine. I expect retribution later though,” Bill’s eyes flashed blue at the word later and the kid’s face got red and he shoved Bill towards the stairs. “Just go, you fucking jerk!”

Oh man, teasing the kid just got infinitely more fun.

Bill ascended the stairs and went into the guest room which should really just be dubbed his room since he keeps spare clothes in there. He closed the door and leaned against it, not caring if the blood smeared on it, he could clean it later.

He brought his hand to his chest and couldn’t stop the wide smile that spread across his face. He didn’t understand this feeling but he knew Pine Tree was the source. Pine Tree kissed him willingly sober for the first time while Bill was turning to stone. No emotional rampage, no alcohol. Pine Tree wanted Bill. Willingly. No coercion. Nothing in it for him except for Bill and that made the demon’s heart thump wildly in his chest.

Normally people flocked to him because he had power and the ability to give them their hearts desires. Demon’s flocked to him because he was more powerful than all of them combined so they wanted a piece of that power. But none of that ever tempted Pine Tree. The only time Bill could even tempt him was when the kid was delirious from lack of sleep so Bill knew that Pine Tree would only say those things if he really meant it.

 Pine Tree actually looked like he hadn’t slept since Bill turned to stone. How long has Bill been gone? He pulled his phone out of his pocket. Broken. Of course.

Another bright side from this little shit show was that Hector was gone, at least until that body decomposes. But by then Bill would be in full power and could destroy him piece by piece, molecule by molecule and absorb his power. Bill didn’t plan on sparing even an ounce of mercy.

But something didn’t quite sit right with Bill either. Bill thought about the dialog during the fight and couldn’t help be suspicious of Fordsy having a deeper dealing with Hector. Not that it mattered anymore. He clearly chose his family over the demon in the end and he supposed that’s all that mattered, not that it fixed his past transgressions (not like Bill really fixed his own, either) but, baby steps, as the humans say.

\----------------------------------------

Mabel answered her phone on the first ring when Dipper called. “So? Gimme the good news,” Mabel beamed. “He’s back and he’s fine and one hundred percent as obnoxious as ever,” Dipper said. “Thank goodness. Well, I guess things go back to normal, huh?” Mabel said.

“Normal being a relative term, but yes, I suppose so,” Dipper said, sounding content. “Good. Listen,” Mabel lowered her voice to say the next part, “I talked to Paz. Everyone thinks Victor is out of town on business. Have you talked to Blubs and Durland yet?”

“Yeah,” Dipper whispered back. “They understand what happened completely and have a cover up planned if someone reports him missing. Poor guy never had a chance.”

“Wait, why are you whispering too?” Mabel whispered.

“I don’t know, because you‘re whispering and it seemed fun,” Dipper whispered back and the twins laughed. It feels like it’s been ages since they were able to laugh together like that. “How’s Despoina? Is she doing fine?”

“Yeah, I’m letting her sleep in your bed and I’m going to stay here tonight and watch over her. Besides, I’m sure you and Bill need to _talk_ some things out in private,” Mabel said, lingering on the word talk so Dipper would catch her drift. He did. “It’s a little soon for that kind of stuff, Mabes,” Dipper said bashfully. Mabel knew that he was just being shy about it. She’s seen the way they would look at each other when the other one wasn’t paying attention. “But I think the feelings are mutual, even though he hasn’t flat out said it.”

“Of course not, when does he flat out say anything?” Mabel asked, rhetorically. “Exactly. So I guess I’ll catch up with you tomorrow. We’ll open the Shack late and walk Despoina back to her cavern? Man, I wish I could give her something show how grateful I am. I mean, she helped us out a lot,” Dipper said, thoughtfully.

“Ooh, I know! There’s a painting shoved in the back of my closet that I made for one of my finals. Bring that tomorrow!” Mabel said, recalling the vibrant abstract painting that swirled together a rainbow of colors. She was sure that Despoina would love it.

“Okay, I’ll dig around for it,” Dipper said, before yawning. “You should get some sleep, Brosky. I know it’s only like six in the evening, but you’ve been up for at least two nights,” Mabel said, worriedly. Dipper had been off kilter for the past few days and needed a good rest.

“Yeah, I think a nap sounds good. I’ll call you in the morning.”

“Good night, Bro.”

“G’night, Sis. Oh and one more thing, Imayhaveruinedoneofyourpaintbrushesandi’mgoingtohangupbeforeyouprocessthissenence, bye!” Dipper said quickly, before hanging up, using one of Mabel’s deflecting techniques. Mabel smiled to herself as she locked her phone. Dipper was finally in a good mood.  

\--------------------------------------------------------

Dipper woke up feeling pretty good, despite the crick in his neck. The last thing he remembered from last night was trying to wait up for Bill to see if he wanted food after his shower, but drowsiness got the best of him and he fell asleep on the couch. He pulled out his phone and checked the time. It was almost six in the morning. There was no way Mabel was going to be awake by now. Dipper slept for almost a good twelve hours and he finally felt rested after an excruciating long week.

He sat up and looked around the room. There was a blanket that wasn’t on him before and Bill was sleeping on the loveseat opposite of him, back facing him. Dipper stretched his arms in the air before getting off of the couch. He took the blanket and covered Bill with it. It looked like Bill had fallen asleep fully clothed as well, since he probably expected to go out and get food. Dipper felt a little guilty, but he was too tired to really be affected by it.

Dipper headed into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee. He smiled to himself. Bill returned his affections. He felt so light for the first time in ages that he felt like he could float right over the moon. Though Dipper knew he should really clarify their relationship. Does Bill even know what it means to be in a relationship? Hell, now that Dipper’s not brainwashed, does _he_ know how to be in a relationship? His partner always took the lead in the past. Could it really be _defined_ as a relationship?

 Dipper was in the middle of pulling down a box of Poptarts when he felt hands snake around his waist. Suddenly, there were warm lips on the back of his neck and another hand trailed upwards and underneath his shirt. With snakelike reflexes, suddenly the hand that was on his waist clawed into him and the mouth on his neck bit down and Dipper let out a gasp that ended in a moan. It was in that moment that he decided that they could talk their relationship out later. This physical tension that had gone on between them for a while and now was the time to relieve it.

The mouth moved from his neck to his ear and whispered, “How badly do you want that coffee?”

“Not at all,” Dipper replied before turning around and slamming his mouth into Bill’s and Bill smirked into the kiss. “Good answer.”  Bill used both hands to dig into Dipper’s waist as his tongue invaded his mouth. Dipper grabbed the hem of Bill’s shirt and began lifting it upward.

“Eager, are we?” Bill said before trailing kisses on Dipper’s jawline.

“Shut up,” Dipper breathed out as he continued to tug. Bill backed away for a moment and allowed Dipper to pull the shirt over his head and he discarded it onto the floor. This time Dipper took the initiative and worked on the demons neck , trailing down to the collarbone. Dipper felt pretty pleased with himself when he heard Bill gasp when he bit down. The next noise he heard was growl and that made his heart feel like it could beat out of his chest.

“How much do you like this shirt?” he heard Bill whisper in his ear before nibbling on his lobe. Dipper was starting to sound a little breathless, “It’s just a shirt.” Suddenly Bill’s hands were on his shirt, ripping and tearing away at it, Bill’s hands desperate to get to the prize inside. Dipper’s shirt was officially in shreds on the ground and Bill was on the attack again. Their mouths met and Bill spun Dipper around, walking him backwards towards the staircase while keeping their lips intact.

Dipper found himself up against the wall that led to the stairwell. The same wall that Bill had pushed him up against the first time they kissed. Before Dipper could even react, he found his both of his hands being held by one of Bill’s above his head while the demon’s other hand teased the hem of Dipper’s jeans that were growing tighter with each kiss that Bill started trailing down his neck.

Dipper felt his belt being unbuckled before Bill made the button of his jeans snap undone. Bill pulled away from his neck to look into his eyes for a moment. Dipper suddenly started feeling self-conscious.

 “W-what?” Dipper asked, feeling flushed. Bill lolled his head back and forth in thought before murmuring. “Just remembered one little thing,” Bill said before pressing his forehead to Dippers. Dipper closed his eyes and it felt like someone was tugging on all of his nerve endings and he wasn’t sure if it felt good or not. “Agh, what are you doing?”

“Be quiet for a minute,” Bill said, keeping his forehead locked to Dipper’s and used his free hand to rub at the hardened member in his boxers. Dipper bucked into the touch, despite the weird sensation that spread across his skin. He was actually starting to get into it. It was electric and it reverberated all the way into his bones.

A whine escaped this throat when Bill pulled his forehead away from Dipper’s and the tingling sensation stopped. “What did you do?”

“I got rid of Hector’s influence in you completely. You’re _mine_ now, Pine Tree,” Bill growled possessively and damn it if didn’t send a chill down Dipper’s spine.  But of course Dipper couldn’t help the sarcastic spiel that came out of his mouth. “And what really defines property? Because you know, it’s not like I belong to myself or anything _.” Stop babbling, you’re in the middle of third base with the guy you like. Now is not the time, Dipper._

“Glad to see we’re on the same page,” Bill said, ignoring the clear cut sarcasm and began moving his hand to reach into the boxers and wrap his hand fully around Dipper’s cock and Dipper gasped at the coolness of his hands. It was surprising but the hand started warming up as he stroked up and down while biting into Dipper’s neck. He was definitely going to leave a mark, but Dipper didn’t exactly care right in this moment.

Bill pulled away from leaving hickies on his neck (god, he hoped they weren’t in the shape of a triangle again) and let go of his hands so Dipper could wrap his arms around him and plant another kiss on him. “Should we go upstairs?” Dipper bravely whispered. The demon hummed a response, pulled away, and led Dipper upstairs by the hand. Dipper used his other hand to hold up his pants. It’s bad enough they left their shirts in the kitchen, he wasn’t about to leave his pants down here too.

To Dipper’s surprise, the demon didn’t lead him to his room, but to the guest (let’s face it, Bill’s) room. Dipper coughed awkwardly, “Er, I have the stuff we need in my room.” Dipper dropped the hint that they needed things like lube in case Bill didn’t know the mechanics of what they were about to do. Bill had a gleam in his eye when he turned to Dipper and said, “So do I.”

_How long has this fucker been planning this?_

Dipper’s heart thrummed with excitement and impatience. This was really happening. Dipper and Bill had danced around their emotions for too long. Suddenly Dipper felt the need to do something. He wanted to form a clear understanding that this wasn’t a one-time fling for him and for Bill to know he would always be here, like the demon’s been here for him these past few weeks.

Dipper pulled back on Bill’s hand after they stepped into his room. “Wait.”

Bill had an amused smirk on his face, “Not getting shy on me, are you Pine Tree?”

“No, just come here,” Dipper said, reaching to cup Bill’s cheeks with both of his hands. The demon gave him a confused look as the brunet looked him right in the eyes. “I-I just wanted to say that I’m all in. I like you Bill and I’m in this one hundred percent.” Then he placed a kiss on Bill’s mouth that said it all. It was passionate and Dipper hoped that it said everything that he wanted it to say. This is the first time in a long time Dipper had really, truly felt this way and he wanted to convey that to the fullest extent.

Bill returned the kiss and it felt like a short eternity before they broke apart, both panting ever so slightly. “I know. You’re the only one,” Bill growled before placing his hand on Dipper’s hip to make him spin in the direction of the bed and he was pushed onto it. By the time Dipper regained his bearings, Bill was on top of him, knee between his legs and kisses trailing down his Adam’s apple.

Dipper’s breath hitched as he steadied his hands on Bill’s shoulders. Bill used his hands to pulling both Dipper’s boxers and jeans down. Dipper lifted his rear to make the task easier for him and he felt Bill’s weight lift off of him as his pants and boxers slid off of him in one fell swoop. Dipper sat up on the edge of the bed while Bill was still standing and hooked his fingers into the hem of his pants. Bill gave him a curious look while Dipper began unhooking the demon’s belt and unbuttoned his pants.

Bill placed his hands on either of Dipper’s shoulders and clawed into them and the brunet took it as a message to hurry it up. After some fumbling, Dipper finally managed to pull Bill’s pants down, leaving him in just his boxers. Dipper wrapped one arm around Bill’s waist and pulled him closer as he pressed his lips to the demon’s stomach and he rubbed at the hardening member in Bill’s boxers. Dipper felt Bill’s breath fluctuate underneath his lips and he couldn’t help the smile that crept up on his mouth has he continued to pepper kisses downwards.

One he felt that Bill was hard enough he slid the demon’s boxers downwards as well. Bill stepped up and kicked his pants and boxers over to where he discarded Dipper’s and Dipper gave him an upward glance. Bill looked flushed, but he retained his usual smug look. It was nice to know that Bill wasn’t unaffected.

Dipper took Bill’s cock in his hand and gave it a few small strokes before bringing his lips to it. This was his first time doing something like this with a guy, but he used his own personal preferences to test the waters. First he used his tongue to tease the tip and Bill’s fingernails clawed further into his shoulders. Dipper gasped at the harsh touch, but it didn’t hurt. He gripped Bill’s waist to hold him steady while he dipped his head further and took more of Bill into his mouth, using his tongue to coat the entire thing in saliva so it would be easier to bob his head.

He could feel Bill instinctively try to push further in his mouth, but Dipper kept him at a comfortable distance as he dug his fingers into Bill’s waist, but he knew that was equally teasing to the demon when he heard him mutter out a, “F-fuck, Pine T-tree.” Hah, he made Bill Cipher stutter. Dipper Pines has the ability to make the silver tongued devil stutter.

Bill’s fingers found their way into Dipper’s hair and they pulled Dipper away from his work and the demon’s lips were on his once again. “Son of a bitch, if I knew your mouth could do that before,” the demon said into Dipper’s mouth, not really finishing his thought. Dipper bit back the urge to retort and kissed the demon back as Bill crawled on top of him again, resting between his legs. Dipper panicked for a moment when he felt Bill near his entrance but the demon readjusted himself so his member pushed against Dipper’s.

Bill took both throbbing organs into his hand and rubbed them together, creating a pleasant friction. Dipper held onto the bedsheets to keep himself from bucking too hard and ruining the moment when Bill’s mouth found its way to the brunet’s chest and then to his nipple. A tongue teased it before teeth clenched around it and Dipper let out the moan he was suppressing. He raised his hands and clawed Bill’s back roughly and the demon shivered at the touch.

Things started getting more primal after that. Bill bit into the area between his shoulder and neck and Dipper retaliated by biting his ear and pulling his hair. Bill in response closed in on Dipper’s thorax and used his free hand to tease his nipple and Dipper nearly buckled. Bill was keeping up his strokes expertly and Dipper could something pooling in his stomach. “B-bill, I-“ and as if he knew what Dipper was going to say he stopped. He propped himself up on his hands and looked down at Dipper.

Dipper was in awe at the sight. Bill’s was panting ever so slightly as his choppy blonde locks feel past his face. Dipper reached up to touch the face he was admiring and Bill tilted his head into his hand. “Ready for the main event, kid?” Dipper nodded wordlessly and Bill rolled off of him, leaving him feeling a little heated and out of breath as well. He took this momentary break to catch his breath and calm down. He was ready for the “main event” as Bill put it, but he wanted these moments with him to last as long as they possibly could.

He heard a tube pop and Dipper peaked out from under his lashes to see Bill pouring something liquid on his hands. Dipper propped himself up on his elbows. He was nervous about this. Really nervous. Bill was back between his legs, “You know I got this kind that doubles as massage oil. We’ll have to try that out next time,” Bill added with a wink and Dipper gave him a small smile. That did sound pretty fun. Especially since Dipper had that sensitive area on his back that Bill almost accidentally discovered at the beginning of this summer.

Bill placed a slick finger at Dipper’s entrance and looked at him, waiting for affirmation that he was ready. Dipper tried to relax his body and nodded. The feeling of Bill’s finger felt foreign and uncomfortable. “Pine Tree, you need to relax,” Bill said, wrapping his arm that wasn’t busy around Dipper’s leg and kissed the inside of his thigh. “Relax,” he said and again and Dipper tried so hard to but it was a little painful. “A-ah!”

“ _Dipper_ , it’ll stop hurting if you relax your muscles. I need you to trust me,” Bill said and Dipper shivered at the use of his preferred name. He sucked in some air and breathed it out slowly. His body slowly accepted the feeling of Bill’s finger inside of him.

Bill continued to sprinkle Dipper’s thigh with kisses to keep him calm and relaxed. Dipper nearly clenched back up when a sudden second finger entered but Bill massaged his thigh and whispered things like, “It’s fine, calm down.” Bill was being unexpectedly soothing in this situation. Dipper (who is finally ready to admit that yes, he imagined it) always pictured the demon being impatient and just taking him from behind or something.

“You’re surprisingly comforting, you know that?” Dipper said, in between ragged breaths. His body was adjusting and pain was turning into pleasure. “Well if I broke you now, there wouldn’t be any future occurrences like this later,” Bill said. Does that mean he planned on being rougher in the future? God, part of him hoped so. He really enjoyed the way Bill would dig into his skin and he was sure part of his neck was bleeding from earlier.

Dipper barely noticed when Bill inserted a third finger. Dipper moaned when Bill started moving his fingers in and out faster and faster. He wanted to do something so he reached down and began stroking himself while Bill finger fucked him. After a few moments of bliss, Bill finally stopped and removed his fingers.

Dipper’s breath hitched when he felt Bill’s cock position at his entrance. Dipper opened his eyes to see the demon’s eyes closed as he stroked himself to make sure he was fully lubed up and when he was done, he grabbed Dipper’s hand and pulled it away so he couldn’t play with himself anymore and slammed his wrist above his head.

Bill leaned down to kiss Dipper as he slowly eased his way into him. Dipper gasped at the sudden pressure and welcomed it. There was pain, oh yes there was pain because though the fingers helped prepare him, it didn’t compare to this. Dipper hissed into Bill’s mouth and the demon distracted him with his tongue. Making out with the demon gave him something to focus on so he could relax his body.

Bill moved his hips slowly and he found a soothing rhythm that Dipper found himself grinding along to. Once they found a comfortable pacing, Bill propped himself up a little higher and experimented with a slightly faster speed. Dipper looked up at the demon. His eyes were closed, lips parted with heavy breathing and sweat was starting to form on his brow.

Dipper wanted to see his eyes.

“Bill.”

The demon’s eyes snapped open and black slits stared down at him while the whites of his eyes glowed that eerie yellow. Dipper thought about pulling him down for a kiss, but a loud gasp escaped his lips when Bill hit a certain spot. Bill snapped his hips forward in the same manner as before and another moan bellowed out.

Now that Bill knew where his target was, his thrusts hit it repeatedly and Dipper could barely contain himself. He said things like, “A-ah, fuck,” or “Bill” in between the incomprehensible noises that spilled out of his mouth. Before he knew it, he came from just Bill hitting that spot repeatedly.

Bill’s hips moved faster until he became a little more sporadic before giving one final thrust and Dipper knew the demon was done too. Bill stayed still for a moment and brought his forehead down to Dipper’s, both men trying to catch their breath. Dipper could feel’s Bill’s member twitching inside of him and decided to make the first move to sit up, eliciting Bill to pull out of him before his body could instinctively clench up again. The demon rolled off of Dipper and pulled him back down to where his back was up against Bill’s chest in an awkward spooning position.

They were both a little sticky and sweaty but extremely tired. Dipper looked at the clock on the nightstand, seeing that it was almost seven in the morning now. He could afford a couple more hours of sleep before he called Mabel to make a plan to meet up and take Despoina back home.

He leaned more into Bill and Bill’s grip around him tightened. The demon kissed his shoulder and gave a content sigh. Dipper closed his eyes and allowed his breathing to harmonize with Bill’s. He couldn’t believe this was happening. That he could actually be this happy. He felt like all of the pieces of his life were finally falling into place and he’s never felt lighter.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys are happy. You have my first smut. >///>


	29. Cool for the Summer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys. Guys. I can't even. Just. *sighs*

Bill woke up when the warmth that he held in his arms was gone. He sat up slowly, his body aching slightly from the exertion from earlier. He was sticky. His sheets were sticky. And he smelled funny. It was all worth it and it was an experience he intended to repeat again in the nearby future.

Once Bill’s ears tuned into what was going on around him, he could hear the shower from Pine Tree’s bathroom running. The demon got out of bed and stretched before grabbing some clothes from the dresser and barged into Pine Tree’s bathroom. The kid looked like he was going to have a heart attack and the look on his face was priceless.

“Relax, kid. It’s not like I haven’t seen you naked before,” Bill joked with a wink before sliding the clear curtain out of the way so he could join him. “It wasn’t that and you know it. You barged in here loudly on purpose,” Pine Tree observed.

“You got me,” the demon admitted while grabbing the soap and a sponge. “Want me to wash your back?” he said with a wide grin and Pine Tree looked nervous. “Not if you’re going to wear that creepy smile the entire time you do it.” Bill laughed. He felt good. Relaxed.

He squirted some of the body wash onto the sponge and did a circling motion with his finger for Pine Tree to turn around. The brunet spun around obediently and Bill started rubbing his back with the sponge.

“Bill?”

“Mmm?”

“What exactly is our relationship?”

“Someone’s thinking a little too much, right now,” Bill sang as he wrapped an arm around Pine Tree’s waist and began to work the sponge on his shoulders.

“The shower is _the_ perfect place for thinking. So what are we?” Pine Tree persisted and Bill tilted his head in thought.

“We are what we are. What do you want us to be?” Bill asked, curious about the kid’s own thoughts on the subject.

“Well, I said I like you,” Pine Tree said.

“And what that entail?” Bill snickered to himself. He already knew, but he wanted to make the human spell it out for him.

“I-it means I want to spend time with you. Go on dates and stuff.” Bill could feel Pine Tree tensing up as he said these things. It made Bill’s heart be faster when the kid was nervous. He finished sponging Pine Tree’s arms and held him from behind as he washed his chest. He leaned backwards so Bill could hold him easier.

“Then we’ll do that,” Bill hummed out, contently.

“Do you even know what that implies?” Pine Tree said seriously. “It means that we’d be in a romantic relationship. That we can only look at each other in that way.”

“I’m not an idiot, Pine Tree, I know what human relationships imply,” Bill said trailing kisses on Pine Tree’s shoulder that wasn’t covered in suds. “Besides, we already skipped a few steps in human courtship, pretty sure we’re supposed to marry before consummating,” Bill mumbled before continuing, “All I know for certain is that you’re mine,” he peppered kisses up to his neck before working the sponge down to his lower back and Pine Tree gasped.

Right, he had those scars from that car accident on his back. He moved the sponge away and Pine Tree turned around and pushed Bill up against the cold wall of the shower. “And vice versa,” he whispered before kissing Bill. Bill wrapped his hands around Pine Tree’s waist and ran his fingers over the scarred area on his lower back and it caused Pine Tree to moan into his mouth.

Oh, so this spot didn’t hurt. Quite the opposite, actually.

Bill smirked and was about to press down on that spot again when Pine Tree pulled away, looking flushed. “We don’t have time for this. We gotta be at the Shack in an hour.”

“What? Why?” Bill asked, digging his nails into Pine Tree’s waist to try and pull him forward again, but he slipped out of his grasp since he was still covered in suds.

“We’re walking Despoina back to her cavern. She willingly gave us a jar of her blood so we could save your ass,” Pine Tree explained while rinsing off under the shower head.

“Pssh, Shooting Star can handle that alone, we can stay here and enjoy ourselves,” Bill purred, trying to coax Pine Tree into another round.

“No,” he said firmly before shoving the shower curtain aside to step out. He gave Bill a quick over the shoulder glance and said, “But, uh, maybe when we get back.”

Bill smiled as he began rinsing off. “Change that ‘maybe’ into a ‘definitely’ Pine Tree because you can count on it.”

\---------------------------------------------

Mabel and Dipper dropped Despoina off without a hitch. Mabel was a bit irked that Bill didn’t come along but he did say that he had a history with her, so it was probably for the best. Luckily they were able to cover his lack of appearance by saying he needed to rest.

Mabel watched as Dipper hung the painting for her in her kitchenette. Despoina was over the moon about the painting and invited them to stay for tea. Dipper declined drinking the tea (he probably won’t drink tea ever again) but Mabel accepted a glass and they stayed and chatted for a while.

The older twin glanced at her brother and noticed some bruising peeking out from beneath his collar. Oh, she was going to have fun teasing him for that later.

After their pleasant visit, they left Despoina so she could get some rest. “If you ever, and I mean _ever_ need anything, please let us know,” Mabel insisted and Despoina nodded. “Thank you. You two, be careful on your way back, okay?”

Mabel nodded and Dipper thanked her again before they set off into the woods. They had at least a good two hour walk ahead of them so Mabel decided to go ahead and get right to the point. “Sooo, I guess I should leave you alone for a while because of all the new couple sex you two are going to be having,” she said bluntly and Dipper blushed.

“W-WhAT do you mean?” he said, his voice cracking giving it away and Mabel busted out laughing. “Well, are you and Bill officially a couple?” Dipper definitely had a happier atmosphere around him that was impossible to miss. He couldn’t stop smiling the entire time they trekked through the woods to drop Despoina off.

“I-I mean I think so. You know he’s not the clearest person. We talked about going on dates and stuff, but the word ‘boyfriend’ hasn’t been thrown into the equation yet, but we kinda agreed to only see each other? What do you think?” he asked, knowing that his brighter, most wonderful sister knew better about these kinds of things.

“I think you two spend a whole lotta time not kissing other people. If you want to cement it, then go for it! Flat out tell him! What are you going to do for your first date?” she tried not gush and failed. She wanted to talk to her brother like an adult but this was a big deal! It’s been so long since Dipper had actually come to her for real romantic advice about someone she didn’t hook him up with!

“I don’t know. We still haven’t worked that out. Part of me is worried that Bill is only intrigued by the er- physical aspect of it. How do I know for a fact that he’s into me for me?” Dipper asked shyly. Man, she had forgotten how adorable her twin could be when he was being shy about someone he liked. Mabel kept her snickering to herself and said, “That’s what you’re going to have to find out. You never really know when you what you’re in for when you begin a relationship.” Mabel smiled and added, “But you know what? Hector is gone and we’re still running the Shack for the rest of the summer. You got a job waiting for you and I’m opening shop by the beginning of autumn. We have all the time in the world to figure things out, brosky.”

“You’re right. You’re absolutely right. I shouldn’t be stressing out about this, I should be having fun,” Dipper had a smile on his face that looked like even if the sky started falling, it wouldn’t shatter.  “I’m glad that you’re happy, bro.  You have no idea how much I’ve wanted for you to be happy.”

He returned her smile, “I know, sis.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------

Stan had his hands in his brother’s hair, checking that wound he got last week. It had healed without stiches a lot better than he imagined. After deliberating that the wound closed in a satisfying manner, Stan backed up and crossed his arms.

“Okay, you’re clear. It’s a miracle that it closed up like that. Next time you are going to the hospital. I don’t care if we have to bury a dead body,” Stan demanded.

“Whatever you say, Stanley,” Ford said, standing up from his chair. “So, are you ready to see the kids yet?” Stan asked. He was finally going to get this family to have a sit down together and they were going to hash everything out.

“Yeah, I think so,” Ford said but Stan didn’t miss the confused way he squinted his eyes. “You alright in there, Poindexter?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just nervous, I guess. I messed up really bad and I have no idea where to start to make things right,” Ford admitted. “It’s okay, you have me there. I’m pissed as hell at you too, but I refuse to watch this family fall apart. I won’t ever go through that again,” Stan said defiantly and Ford was giving him a deer in the headlights look but quickly blinked his eyes and looked away.

“Ford? You do know what I’m talking about, right?” he asked. Oh geez, what if there was something wrong with his brother’s noggin’?

“Of course I do, Stanley,” he said without looking at him. “Okay then, wise guy, tell me what I mean,” he demanded.

“You’re talking about that summer that Weirdma-“ Stan made a gameshow buzzer noise with his mouth,” Try earlier than that.” Stan was actually referring to their family’s fallout and when he was kicked out and picked up the life of a conman.

“But I- I mean. Okay, fine you got me,” Ford admitted. “I can’t really remember anything past the summer of Weirdmageddon. Please, don’t tell the kids,” Ford pleaded.

Stan groaned, “Fine, but you are going to see a doctor right now. But why the hell don’t you want them to know?”

“I’ve already disappointed them a lot, and I don’t need them worrying about me while I’m going through this. I want them to let me back in because they want to, not out of sympathy. I just want to be close to my family again,” Ford said and Stan gave an understanding nod.

“Okay, I won’t tell. Now grab your coat, I’ll drive,” Stan said, grabbing his keys to drive his brother to the hospital.

\------------------------------------------------------

Dipper sighed as he adjusted his tie. This past week went by in such a blur he nearly forgot about his dinner with the Northwests until Mabel not-so-gently reminded him that he couldn’t get out of it.

Bill pushed Dipper out of the way of the mirror so he could tie his own bowtie. “You know, Hector’s gone. You don’t have to go to this boring dinner with me,” Dipper said. “But I want to go with you. We’re, what are the kids saying these days? ‘Dating’ and I am not letting you go out looking like _that_ alone,” Bill declared and Dipper’s face went red. Was he ever going to get used to the demon’s flirting?

“Fine, but don’t complain to me when you’re bored out of your skull,” Dipper responded with an eye roll. “Pine Tree, I don’t get bored at parties, I liven them up,” Bill said with a wink and Dipper sighed. “No, no livening things up. We’re going to go there, have a stupid boring time and if you’re good I’ll take you out for a drink. We’re closed tomorrow so we’ll go have fun tonight,” Dipper offered, trying to convince the demon to hopefully _not_ scar his sister’s girlfriend’s family for life. _Again_.

Bill finished up his final adjustment of his bowtie and turned to Dipper, saying, “Deal,” as his eyes flashed blue the demon pulled him in for a kiss. Dipper smiled and wrapped his arms around Bill, deepening the kiss but didn’t get much further when Mabel yelled from downstairs, “Quit necking, and get down here! We’re running late!” she complained with a startling aptitude of timing. The two broke apart and Dipper yelled, “Oh, that’s real rich coming from you!” He smiled at Bill and pulled him by his hand. “Let’s go get this over with.”

 

The evening went by pretty smoothly. Preston and Priscilla accepted ‘William’ pretty well, but Dipper was nervous because of the odd stares Preston gave Bill half the night. He wasn’t sure if it was because Bill was weird (even though Bill was definitely on his best human behavior tonight) or that he recognized him. Dipper began to relax when Paz’s father seemed to lose interest in figuring out Bill and started discussing business with Paz.

At the end of the night, Paz’s mother apologized for them taking shop this entire night, but Mabel was ecstatic. She got some really good advice out of Paz and Preston.

“Bill and I are going to hit a bar. Wanna come with?” Dipper asked as they walked to the car.

Mabel looked up in thought for a moment, “Sure, I’m done with my orders for the week! I could go for some dancing and we all already look fabulous.”

“Ooh, Pine Tree let’s go dancing. I had a-“ but Bill stopped himself short and recomposed himself, “I’ve been wanting to dance with you.”

“What were you about to say?” Mabel asked slyly while nudging Bill in the ribs. “Say what, Shooting Star? I said what I meant to say.”

Bill was clearly flustered over it so Dipper just had to know what he was really going to say.  He walked to the opposite side of where Mabel elbowed him and wrapped his arm around Bill’s waist and gave him a foppish smile. “Come on, Bill. You wouldn’t keep a secret from me would you? That kinda breaks the code of human dating.”

Mabel put her arms over Bill’s shoulder. “Yeah, you wouldn’t want to hurt Dipper’s feelings now would you?” she asked with a devilish grin. Bill growled and stepped away from both of them. “No way. It’s personal. Let’s just go,” he said as he angrily crawled into the backseat of Dipper’s car. Dipper gulped. Did he really offend Bill? He was just having a bit of fun.

“Give us a minute, Mabes?” he asked. “Sure thing. Hey, care if I invite Paz along?” “Go ahead,” Dipper said as he walked to the car. He opened the door to find the demon lying down on the seat staring up at the ceiling with an irritated look on his face, making it impossible for Dipper to sit next to him. “Bill, I’m sorry. You know you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” Dipper said, giving the demon and apologetic smile. Bill propped himself up on his elbows. “Where’s Shooting Star?”

“She’s inside asking Paz to come along-“ Dipper was cut off when Bill pulled him by the lapels of his blazer and into the car. Bill used his foot to hook the handle and close the door while he pulled Dipper down for a kiss. “You know, this human brain is really stupid,” Bill said when he finally let Dipper come up for air.  

“Why is that?” was all Dipper could aske while the demon was under him. “I had a dream that I taught you how to ballroom dance.”

Dipper’s cheeks flushed. “O-oh? If you want, you can still teach me?” he offered. He already knew how to because Mabel forced him to practice with her while the university they went to held free classes for it, but Bill didn’t need to know that.

Bill gave him a smirk and propped himself up a little higher. “Sure, kid. I’ll teach you.” Dipper smiled and then sat up, so he and Bill could sit properly on the back seat when he heard the front door to the house open and close. Mabel spotted where they were sitting and slid into the driver’s seat, while Pacifica slid into the passenger seat.

“Ready for some adventure?” Mabel asked while buckling in and Dipper passed her the keys.

Bill placed his hand over Dipper’s on the car seat, “If you want adventure you should let me drive.”

“No way in hell,” Pacifica spat.

“Geez, hell is probably where we’d end up,” Dipper said as he turned his hand so he could give Bill’s a squeeze.

“We’re already halfway there,” Bill said with a flash of blue in his eyes as he squeezed Dipper’s hand in return.

There was no going back for them and Dipper didn’t regret anything.

 

 

 

 

 

 

\----------------------------------------------

Gideon Gleeful pulled into the driveway of his new house. It was late at night and the air around him was chilly. “My, oh my, Gravity Falls it is good to be back,” he said out loud with his heavy southern accent, over the desperately loud crickets.

He had been longing to return to Gravity Falls for years after his parents took him away. They said that this place was unhealthy for him and that there was money to be made elsewhere since downright near everybody needed a car. Gideon however made his money a different way. Oh, he tried that bein’ normal business and it just wasn’t for him.

He researched the paranormal and sure, he’d been called a lunatic for it, but he made some shocking discoveries and has been credited for it. But he caught wind of a certain supernatural force returning to this area.  

After extensive amounts of research starting with the storm clouds that dropped off of every weather radar completely to reports of extremely strange occurrences in the Eastern countries all the way to the tropics and then  to the Bermuda Triangle. Every weird thing that he tracked followed a certain itinerary of two old men that used to be a thorn in Gideon’s side.

But now there was no mistaking it.

Bill Cipher was back.

And Gideon Gleeful was there to prove it and put a stop to any plans he might have in motion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh. My. Goodness. The final chapter of the first fic in the trilogy is complete!  
> *in a lame announcer voice*  
> Next time: Where does Ford stand with his family! What else has Hector influenced in Gravity Falls? How does Gideon know about Bill? Is Bill and Dipper's relationship built to last? Will Mabel successfully open her store? Will the gnomes coax more jam out of our heroes? Find out next time in *mumbles incoherently because it doesn't have title yet*
> 
> I know this chapter was a bit short, but it was basically set up for the next installment in the trilogy. I hope you enjoyed it and look forward to the next fic! 
> 
> But SERIOUSLY guys! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! Thank you everyone who stayed with me all the way until the end of my first fanfic! You guys are the reason I'm making this into a full trilogy. It will probably be a little while before the next fic is up because as some of you know, next month is NaNo so I will be using that to concentrate on my original novel but I will be working on my next fic with it as well. *I probably won't survive*  
> If you guys have questions, or theories you wanna share on what's going to happen, message me on tumblr or twitter! I would love to talk to you! Of course I will still be responding to comments on here. <3 It's because of your encouragement that I was finally able to completely finish a writing project after a couple years of crippling writers block.  
> My tumblr is http://purplerivulets.tumblr.com/ (be sure to check out my tumblr if you wanna see my latest BillDip art)  
> My twitter is PurpleRivulets@carelessrain (I'm not very active on it at the moment, but if you guys talk to me, I'll pick it up again!)
> 
> Also, it would be a short chapter, but let me know if you guys are interested in one more chapter with my favorite alternate/deleted scenes. It wouldn't be edited so it'd be a mess, fair warning.


	30. Rewind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, here are some fun deleted or alternate scenes from Tale of a Tangled Mind! Keep in mind that NONE of this is plot relevant anymore! And for all the people who complimented my story pacing, you're about to see exactly how impatient I really wanted to be, haha! XD  
> One more thing to keep in mind is that it is poorly edited for please forgive any errors you see.  
> Enjoy~

This scene takes place in chapter eight after Bill asks what Dipper’s problem is and Dipper yells at him saying that he could never make up for Weirdmageddon. 

“Look, Pine Tree, I actually wanted to talk to you about that.” He got out of the bed, giving Dipper some breathing room. “I’m not going to apologize for what happened all those years ago, because I don’t regret anything. Ever,” he added pointedly before continuing. “But I do have something new to take into account. I’ve seen some weird messed up dreams in my time and it never occurred to me that you walking meat suits might not enjoy them as much as I do. I’ve always assumed that humans just repressed everything you wanted to do and that when I finally gained my physical form, you guys would finally have an excuse to cut loose and do everything you ever wanted!”

Dipper shuddered. He imagined what would have happened if Bill didn’t try to take over a sleepy small town like Gravity Falls first. He wondered what would have happened if he had tried somewhere more populated and with a higher crime rate. People might have gone ballistic.

“That’s not how humans work, Bill.”

“See, that’s my point! I know that now! You have other feelings, like guilt, sadness, anxiety. Most demons have the same basic instincts and different personalities, but man you humans are really diverse! It’s something I didn’t really expect.”

“But you were a dream demon and invaded who knows how many peoples’ minds? How could you not notice?”

“Because what the mind, body, and heart wants are three different things! Having all three is what makes you meat bags so hard to read! The mind is made from chaos and craves knowledge, the body provides you with basic survival instincts, and the heart is what makes you want to interact and care about other humans. Bring them all together and you have what you define at ‘civilized’ member of society,” Bill stated with air quotes once again.

“So since you’re in a human body, you feel what all three are trying to tell you?” Dipper asked, finally seriously considering that Bill’s plight. He says he doesn’t regret what he did, but if had the capacity to regret it, Dipper would definitely make him feel it.

“What in the twelve thousand and a half dimensions made you think that I would ever admit to feeling things. I’m a creature that runs off chaos, kid. Don’t forget that,” he said, eyes narrowed.

“So if you don’t feel things that a normal human feels, what does that make you?” Dipper asked, rolling his eyes at the snarky comment.

“A devilishly handsome sociopath,” Bill proudly replied, with his arms crossed and wide grin spread on his cheeks.

 

 

This scene takes place at the end of Chapter Nine, when Dipper and Bill are having a drunken conversation upstairs and Bill asks Dipper to cancel his date with Carla.

Dipper could feel the demon losing his balance and grabbed his waist to keep him steady. “Why didn’t you say so, then?” he heard Bill whisper. He couldn’t make sense of what the demon wanted, so he moved them closer to the bed, “You need to sle-“

In that moment, the entire world froze for Dipper Pines. Bill’s mouth was on his. It was sloppy and clumsy but very inviting. Bill’s hands instinctively travelled from his shoulders to his lower back, his fingers tracing around that scar. Dippers insides heated up and he gripped Bill’s waist harder and pulled him closer, returning the kiss with full force. When Bill realized he was being kissed back, he bit Dipper’s lower lip, causing him to gasp, therefore granting his tongue access into his mouth and Dipper clawed into his sides.

Dipper’s head buzzed as Bill returned the favor and dug his fingers into his back. Dipper then lifted his arms from Bill’s waist and started clawing at his shoulder blade, causing the demon to moan into his mouth. Bill then raised one of his arms and tugged on Dipper’s hair, unlatching their mouths and Bill went directly for his neck, sinking his teeth into it. Dipper wasn’t ready to let Bill win. When Bill let go to kiss a different part of his neck, he grabbed a handful of Bill’s hair as well and latched onto his earlobe.

Bill then dug his fingernails into the scar, while tugging on Dipper’s hair. This caused him to go weak in the knees and the demon smirked down at him as Dipper’s legs buckled, knowing he won. Dipper gritted his teeth and was about to latch back onto him when he was pushed onto the twin bed, his back hitting the wall.

His head was spinning and he couldn’t see straight. By the time he refocused, Bill was sitting on top of him and his hands were being held above his head by one of Bill’s hands, and Bill’s other hand was squeezing one side of his neck, causing him to tilt his head to the side and Bill’s mouth was latched back on to his exposed neck. After he claimed the spot on his neck, Bill’s hand travelled lower and lower until he reached the hem of his boxers. He traced the hem of his boxers and Dipper’s hips instinctively bucked forward.

Bill let go of Dipper’s hands and threw off his own shirt, leaving him in just his jeans. Dipper’s hands immediately went to Bills hips, pulled him closer to his own waist. He kissed him on the chest as Bill started grinding into him, his hands tangled in messy brown locks. Dipper decided to use this to his advantage, and flung Bill onto the bed, underneath him.

When he looked into Bill’s glowing yellow eyes, reality hit him. He was about to sleep with Bill Cipher. Bill Cipher, his supposed mortal enemy? This raised a lot of questions that Dipper was just not ready to deal with.

He tried to get up, but Bill clutched his shoulders and brought him down for another kiss. When he fought against it, Bill tossed him away from off, causing Dipper to land flat on his back on the cold floor.  “Goddammit, Pine Tree,” Bill huffed.

This scene takes place in Chapter 20 after Bill has a dream about Dipper except this time Dipper isn’t already awake. 

 

Pine Tree was fast asleep on the couch. One of his arms covered his eyes and the other one was hanging off the edge of the couch. His mouth let out little snores and his foot was twitching, meaning that he was indeed dreaming.

Bill was filled with hope for a moment as he shook Pine Tree awake. “Wake up, kid. I need to ask you something.”

The resulting glare he earned for waking the kid from his slumber was a bonus, but he really needed this information. “What were you dreaming about?”

“Wha-? Bill, you’re a dream demon, was it necessary to wake me up?” Pine Tree whined. “Yes, now tell me about your dream.”

Pine Tree sighed and then sat up, “What does it even matter? Bill it’s,” he checked his phone, “almost three in the morning. This could have waited until-“

“No, it couldn’t have. Trust me, Pine Tree. This. Is. Important,” Bill pushed impatiently. “I-I uh, dreamt I was ice skating with Mabel,” the kid admitted, but avoided eye contact. “And? What else?” Bill pushed. “You were there too. You were trying to melt the ice because you hated the cold.”

“No dancing?”

“N-no. There was no dancing. Bill, what is going on?” Pine Tree asked, rubbing his tired eyes. Bill bit his lip. Should he tell him? Bill wasn’t supposed to dream, even in his human form. If he’s dreaming, that means he’s open to outside influence. Pine Tree needed to be aware of that in case something happened to him.

Bill plopped down on the couch, next to Pine Tree and looked at him. “I had a dream. I’m not supposed to be dreaming. My mindscape isn’t built for that kind of thing. This means I’m becoming more vulnerable,” Bill admitted through grit teeth. He wasn’t sure why this was happening now. Of all the times this could have started happening, it had to be when they were under attack.

“What do you mean ‘vulnerable’? How does dreaming make you more vulnerable?” Pine Tree asked, sounding more awake. “Because, kid. Dreams are doors to the subconscious. Hector by all means, is technically a dream demon too. He can see my innermost thoughts if I don’t put a stop to this.”

“Why don’t you learn to lucid dream? Find something unnatural to signal that you’re dreaming and then take control of it,” Pine Tree suggested. “Yeah, that might work. Except, oh gee, remember who you’re talking to? Weirdness in dreams defines me,” Bill spat out sarcastically. 

“Yeah, well sarcasm does not become you,” Pine Tree murmured with crossed arms.

“No, but it does sustain me,” Bill said, equally despondent. This agitated Bill to know end. He could feel his face getting red and his eyes started to burn yellow. “The most frustrating part of all this is that I have no idea what made my mind so weak to start dreaming!”

“Well, what did you dream about?” Pine Tree asked, curiously.

“What does it matter? What matters is the fact that I’m a dream demon who’s lost control of his own mind,” Bill pouted.

“C’mon Bill. You just woke me up in the middle of the night to tell you my dream, at least tell me yours,” Pine Tree insisted. “Fine, I dreamt we were dancing in this hotel’s ballroom. Music was playing and in the end you ripped out your own heart.”

 

This is an alternate death scene for Hector when from Chapter 21 when Bill kills a gorgon himself. Remember that I had planned to drag this fic out just a little bit longer before I decided to make this a trilogy so keep in mind that especially the plot in this particular scene is no longer relevant. 

Bill had half a mind to rip him to shreds where he laid, but he had to be composed. If he did that, he would disappear into the Mindscape and find another vessel. Bill’s blue flames held Hectors arms and neck in place. Bill felt a fury like he had never felt before. This was more than raw anger or hatred. Those feelings were white hot but this. Oh, this was cold. So cold that this made the Artic seem tropical. This cold fury fueled Bill’s power more so than hot rage could.

Bill casually straddled Hector’s chest and enjoyed the fear soaking his expression. He flicked his forehead and watched the red glow fade, disabling his powers.

“You see, Hector, I was wondering on the drive back to Gravity Falls, ‘gee, how could my hench-minion use his powers in a vessel when that was something I couldn’t accomplish myself’ and then it hit me. You used human binding magic, didn’t you? Oh man, was that a mistake, let me tell you,” Bill blabbed on as he casually dug two circular objects out of his pocket.

“You see, you have to be asleep to go into the Mindscape, just like me but unlike my current state, if I simply killed your vessel, you’d go back into the Mindscape. But then I thought to myself, ‘well, what if that consciousness just froze?’ Well, I’m pleased to announce that I’m willing to bet that you would be frozen as well,” Bill said, his grin widening to the point of it hurting his cheeks.

“B-Bill, I’m sorry, I-“ Bill covered Hector’s mouth with his hand. “Shh. It’s a bit late for groveling, don’t you think?  You _tried_ to hurt me, you hurt Pine Tree. Accept your fate with at least a little dignity. Actually, scratch that, the most fun part his watching you squirm!” Bill cackled loudly and Hector’s eyes went wide. Bill held out the Gorgon’s eyes he gouged out earlier in front of Hector. Bill watched ever little emotion wash over his face. Fear. Confusion. Realization. Terror.

Bill stood up and brushed himself off as Hector’s vessel started turning to stone, from his feet up. “Bill, I know you can still stop this! Please! I-I’ll give you the names of everyone I was working with! If you think I was threat, then-“

Bill laughed and looked at him with dark eyes. “I never once thought you were a threat.”

Hector’s pleas grew more and more desperate as the stony appearance inched all over his body. Bill watched in sick pleasure as his face contorted and he was eager to see how he would freeze. But unfortunately, towards the end slowly grew into acceptance and began taunting Bill. “Y-you see Bill. My partner is worse than I am. I already tore the Pines’ family apart, but my partner will finish the job. You’ll see-“ and that was it. Hector was frozen and apparently had a partner. _Great_.


End file.
